Malaria N° 7 - Subject N° 1

CHANGE IN POLICY OF MANAGEMENT OF ACUTE MALARIA IN A CENTRAL HOSPITAL OF BLANTYRE, MALAWI
A.K. Khare & R. Chirakata

SUMMARY
The National Treatment Policy for Malaria in Malawi is to presume that an adult with a history of fever and no obvious sites of infection has malaria and to provide treatment with anti-malarial drug. Due to an increase in the number of anti-malarial prescriptions dispensed at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, in July 1996 a practice of restricting anti-malarial treatment to parasitaemic patients was introduced. We carried out the study to evaluate policy. results showed that 95% of patients clinically suspected of having Malaria (382) were tested for malaria parasites. Anti-malaria prescriptions were dispensed after confirmation of the diagnosis by demonstration of malaria parasite on peripheral blood smear (32%). This resulted in a total number of prescriptions reduced by 68%. The results favour the new policy.