title: An in-vivo study of falciparum malaria sensitivity to Chloroquine in unstable malaria endemic area of central Ethiopia.
abstract: The role of Chloroquine as a first line drug to treat P. falciparum is almost universally becoming questionable. This study was conducted in one of the country's unstable malaria endemic area, North Shoa with the objective of assessing the in-vivo treatment efficacy of Chloroquine to falciparum malaria using the standard WHO 14 days treatment response monitoring guideline. A total of 427 patients were followed among which 87.8% showed treatment failure. This was more pronounced in children than in adults (Chi-square for trend = 8.16; P < 0.01). Clinical presentation with high grade fever on day 0 was found to be more predictive of treatment failure in children (OR = 2.06; 95% CI = 1.26, 3.36; P < 0.005). Tendency to remain febrile on subsequent follow up days was also more observed in children compared to adults. Treatment failure was further associated with high Parasite Density Index (PDI) on day 0 in all age groups (OR = 1.99; 95% CI = 1.04, 3.83; P < 0.05). Supplemented with large scale sensitivity studies, it is high time that switch to alternate drugs needs due consideration by policy makers.
authors.affiliation: PLAN International Ethiopia, P.O. Box 3062, Addis Ababa.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kebede
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Taffa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tedla
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D002738:Chloroquine