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Primaquine Administration after Falciparum Malaria Treatment in Malaria Hypoendemic Areas with High Incidence of Falciparum and Vivax Mixed Infection: Pros and Cons |
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| Authors: | Polrat Wilairatana Noppadon Tangpukdee Shigeyuki Kano and Srivicha Krudsood |
| Institution: | 1Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.;2Department of Tropical Medicine and Malaria Research Institute, National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM), Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan.;3Department of Tropical Hygiene, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand. |
| Abstract: | Mixed infections of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax is high (~30%) in some malaria hypoendemic areas where the patients present with P. falciparum malaria diagnosed by microscopy. Conventional treatment of P. falciparum with concurrent chloroquine and 14 days of primaquine for all falciparum malaria patients may be useful in areas where mixed falciparum and vivax infections are high and common and also with mild or moderate G6PD deficiency in the population even with or without subpatent vivax mixed infection. It will be possibly cost-effective to reduce subsequent vivax illness if the patients have mixed vivax infection. Further study to prove this hypothesis may be warranted. |
| Keywords: | Plasmodium falciparum Plasmodium vivax mixed infection primaquine |