title: Efficacy of Chloroquine as a first line agent in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria due to Plasmodium vivax in children and treatment practices in Pakistan: A Pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To ascertain the efficacy of chloroquine as first line agent in treatment of uncomplicated malaria -caused by Plasmodium vivax in children---and to determine its current treatment practice in Pakistan.
  
  
  METHODS
  This pilot study was conducted at the Paediatrics Department of Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Lahore, Pakistan. Forty-eight children between six months and twelve years of age having positive blood film for Plasmodium vivax were included. They were treated with chloroquine as a drug of - choice. Efficacy of chloroquine was assessed by clinical response, absence of parasitaemia on day seven and twenty-eight after initiation of therapy. A survey was also conducted to determine the first line therapeutic choice of Paediatricians in the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium vivax malaria in children in Pakistan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed 100% efficacy of chloroquine in treating uncomplicated malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax in children. Artemisin was preferred by 74.28% Paediatricians' in combination therapy as 1st line treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Guidelines proposed by Malaria Control Programme Pakistan (MCPP) in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) are comprehensive but not being adhered to. The recently reported resistance of Plasmodium vivax to artemisin should urge measures to implement WHO guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, CMH, Rawalpindi.
authors.forename: Talal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Waqar
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, CMH Skardu.
authors.forename: Arshad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khushdil
authors.affiliation: Retd. Prof of Neonatal Medicine, San Francisco, USA.
authors.forename: Khalid
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Haque
mesh_terms: D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007783:Lactones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D010154:Pakistan; D000072143:Pediatricians; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D037621:Artemisinins; D007783:Lactones; D002738:Chloroquine; C075875:artemisin
keywords: Vivax malaria, chloroquine, Pakistan, WHO.