Points every medical professional should know about Malaria

Points every medical professional should know about Malaria

Dr K K Aggarwal, National President IMA

·         No one should die of malaria in India.

·         Vivax malaria cases to be treated with chloroquine for 3 days and 14 days primaquine as radical treatment after doing G6PD testing, if possible. 

·         Primaquine is contraindicated in pregnant women.

·         Uncomplicated falciparum malaria to be treated with artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT)
for 3 days and single day primaquine on second day.

·         All severe malaria cases (both vivax and falciparum) to be treated with injection artesunate followed by complete course of oral antimalarial.

·         Artesunate monotherapy is banned in India. 

·         Don't treat malaria cases with injection artesunate only.

·         Antigen-based Bivalent (Pv & Pf) Rapid Diagnostic Kit or microscopy is the recommended method of confirmation of malaria and available free of cost in Govt. Health Facility.

·         Current Malaria Treatment Guidelines are available on   http://www.mrcindia.org/Diagnosis%20of%20Malaria%20pdf/Guidelines%202014.pdf

(Contributions from Dr AC Dhariwal)