| Popis: |
A wide selection of drugs is available to treat malaria. In many countries, however, the resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to drug therapy is problematic. For example, resistance to chloroquine is a problem in most tropical areas. Sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine, quinine, mefloquine, and artemisinin remain available and effective in many scenarios. Malarone and benflumetol/artemether are new drug combinations to apply against malaria infection. Each country needs an agreed-upon antimalarial drugs policy which takes into account the epidemiological factors affecting parasite distribution and the pattern of drug resistance. The prevailing health service characteristics, including the levels of health care at which different drugs are available, the risks and benefits of different drug regimens, compliance factors, and the logistics and cost of drug delivery must also be considered. Policy should be to reduce malaria mortality and morbidity and the development of drug resistance, while remaining within the limits of each country's budgetary and staffing capacity. Indications for treatment, genotyping and the reinfection problem in drug evaluation, amodiaquine reappraisal, new drug combinations, the role of drugs in preventing mosquito infection, and molecular biology in the surveillance of drug resistance are discussed. |
