Malaria prophylaxis in travellers to tropical Africa.
This study investigated travellers to tropical Africa with regard to prophylactic treatment of malaria. A total of 5703 travellers completed a questionnaire on their flights back to the Federal Republic of Germany; 4116 passengers (73.7%) had visited East Africa, while 808 (14.5%) had been to West Africa. The results indicate that 90.2% took a regular chemoprophylaxis against malaria. Nevertheless, 8.1% of the travellers used no antimalarials and in 9.3% chemoprophylaxis was inadequate due to inappropriate advice; for example, 7.5% still took pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine as prophylactic. Mefloquine was correctly taken by 38.9% of the travellers in East Africa; 12.6% used it in West Africa where it is not necessary. Antimosquito measures have a high priority for travellers to tropical Africa and dissemination of this fact must be improved since only 72.6% followed through on such advice.
Weinke
T
T
II. Medizinische Klinik, Universitätsklinikum Rudolf Virchow, Freie Universität Berlin.
Weber
G
G
Schultes
U
U
Hopfenmüller
W
W
Janitschke
K
K
D000349:Africa; D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015767:Mefloquine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects; D002727:Proguanil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011739:Pyrimethamine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013413:Sulfadoxine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014195:Travel
D000962:Antimalarials; D013413:Sulfadoxine; D002738:Chloroquine; D002727:Proguanil; D015767:Mefloquine; D011739:Pyrimethamine