Malaria Prophylaxis: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

Prophylaxis of Malaria is a treatment of malaria that prevents malaria. Under this treatment method a number of vaccines are in the process of development. Drugs that are anti-malarial in nature only offer measures against the clinical attacks. You are susceptible to catching malaria depending; on the location you visit; how long you stay; the activities you undertake; on whether you take any precautionary measures against mosquito bites. It is advised that a traveller who has caught fever within a time span of three months of having left a malaria-afflicted locality should right away visit a physician and get certain tests done.

The method by which malaria is averted by using anti-malarial medications is known as chemoprophylaxis. Terminal prophylaxis is the method by which primaquine is administered for a period of two weeks.

Certain other preventive measures that you should follow are prohibiting children and women who are undergoing pregnancy from travelling to places where malaria is rampant.

Certain symptoms of malaria include headaches, feelings of nausea and vomiting, fever with a very high temperature and cold sweats. Other signs include muscle ache or pain and diarrhoea. On noticing these signs and symptoms visit your doctor right away and get some medical tests done.

In primary prophylaxis method which falls under the category of malaria prophylaxis antimalarial drugs need to be taken by the concerned individual starting a few days ahead from his/her journey to the malaria affected area and needs to be continued not only during the course of his/her journey but also even after returning for one to four weeks.

In terminal prophylaxis primaquine is administered to people who have been exposed to a malaria affected region for a long duration of time so that they can fight the P.Vivax and P.Ovale pathogens. A chemoprophylaxis course is started at least a week or two prior to a person’s travel to a malaria-affected region. This needs to be continued during the journey and even after returning.

When selecting your chemoprophylactic course you need to review your travel itinerary in detail. You also need to consider if you have any allergic reactions to any medications and also the accessibility factor of these medications should they run out. People who are on long-term travel taking around 300 mg of chloroquin should get screenings done at least twice a year to detect any signs of retinal alterations.

Those of you prescribed to take malarone or a combination of atovaquone plus proguanil neeed to take one tablet with a dose of 250 mg daily and needs to be continued for at least seven days after exposure to the malaria affected region. Those prescribed chloroquine need to take 300 mg on a weekly basis. Those prescribed doxycycline need to take 100 mg once every day and those prescribed mefloquine have to take one tablet of 250 mg weekly.

Malaria prophylaxis is an anti-malaria measure and so anyone travelling to a malaria affected region is eligible to take this precautionary measure. Anti-malarial drugs under this treatment method needs to be taken a day or two ahead of travel, should be continued during the travel and even after returning for at least 4 weeks.

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are suitable for pregnant women.

People who are prone to seizure or epileptic attacks are asked to avoid taking Chloroquine and mefloquine. Doxycycline, primaquine and atovaquone-proguanil medications are not suitable for women undergoing pregnancy. Children are not advised for travel malaria affected regions as dosages may vary and administration might be difficult.

The side effects of atovaquone plus proguanil are nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea skin rashes, seizures, ulcers in the mouth and rising level of liver enzymes. Taking chloroquine could induce side effects such as headache, skin eruption and discoloration of the nail and mucus membrane region, pruritis, semi hair fall, myopathy, psychosis, seizures and nerve deafness. Doxycycline causes side effects such as vaginal yeast infection, various allergic reactions, blood dyscrasias, esophageal erosion and ulcers (GERD) and abdominal pain. Mefloquine causes side effects such as headavhe, sleeping disorders, dizziness, hallucinations, forgetfulness, anxiety attacks, aggression, mood swings and problems with coordination, suicidal tendencies and depression.

Malaria Prophylaxis is a preventive treatment therefore there aren’t any post-treatment guidelines as such. Certain methods such as; primary prophylaxis need to be continued for nearly a month after returning from a malaria-endemic region; Terminal prophylaxis needs to be continued for around two to four weeks after returning. In the latter case primaquine is give to travellers in the 2nd week of the four week time frame of treatment.

There is no time for recovery as this is a preventive technique of treatment and so the precautionary measures needs to be taken for at least a month after returning from the malaria affected region followed by a visit to your doctor.

Cost of 24 tablets of malarone tablets is about 12000 in Indian rupees. A strip of chloroquine-phosphate tablets cost about 7 rupees whereas a pack costs about 250 rupees. A strip of doxycycline tablets cost about 68 rupees. One mefloquine tablet costs about 38 rupees. So, the cost of treatment varies from 5 rupees to about 15000 rupees.

Malaria can only be prevented if strict guidelines are followed and the drugs are continued to be taken for a period of at least four weeks even after returning from the malaria affected region.