Intermittent preventive antimalarial treatment to children (IPTc): firebreak or fire trap?
Intermittent preventive treatment is the prescheduled administration of antimalarial drugs to at-risk patients in endemic areas. This approach, which is recommended for pregnant women, is being evaluated in children. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine recently proved to be more protective than artemisinin-containing regimens. Therefore, the use of artemisinin derivatives could potentially be restricted to symptomatic patients. Determinants of three pending issues: safety, efficacy throughout childhood, and effectiveness--the latter depending on the implementation of sustainable delivery mechanisms--are analyzed in this comment.
Buffet
Pierre A
PA
INSERM, UMR S511, Paris, F-75013 France. pierre.buffet@psl.aphp.fr
Briand
Valérie
V
Rénia
Laurent
L
Thellier
Marc
M
Danis
Martin
M
Mazier
Dominique
D
D000655:Amodiaquine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003657:Decision Making; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004351:Drug Resistance; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008288:Malaria / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011739:Pyrimethamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013413:Sulfadoxine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000962:Antimalarials; D037621:Artemisinins; D004338:Drug Combinations; D000655:Amodiaquine; C001205:fanasil, pyrimethamine drug combination; D013413:Sulfadoxine; C031327:artemisinin; D011739:Pyrimethamine