Question

Letter on Malaria problem

Answer 1

Answer:

However, I feel that it is important to clarify the issue of malaria chemoprophylaxis. Chloroquine, mefloquine or doxycycline alone does not provide complete protection from the disease. While all four Plasmodium species exhibit both a hepatic stage and an erythrocytic stage, those of P. falciparum and P. malariae are transient, while both P. vivax and P. ovale may remain dormant for years in an intrahepatic form.2,3 Primaquine is the only drug available that can eliminate intrahepatic parasites.2 Thus, active malaria may develop years after the occurrence of an infective bite, despite strict adherence to chemoprophylaxis, if the regimen used lacks primaquine.