QUESTION Which drug should be given to a p.vivax malaria patient with deficient glucose 6-phosphate for prevention of relapse? ANSWER Unfortunately, primaquine is the only drug that is known to kill the latent liver stages of P. vivax and P. ovale. Since it can induce haemolysis in people with G6DP deficiency, this drug is usually not recommended for people with this deficiency. However, … [Read more...]
Treatment for Malaria
QUESTION: What is the main medicine to cure malaria and about safety precautions? ANSWER: There are a number of medicines used to treat malaria. Traditionally, chloroquine has been the first line drug of choice for uncomplicated, non-resistant malaria. However, several types of malaria, and most notably Plasmodium falciparum, the most severe and deadly kind, has become resistant to … [Read more...]
G6PD and Malaria
QUESTION: Does one need to have a normal result in G6PD screening before he can take Malarial pills? ANSWER: In some cases, yes. When a patient has been diagnosed with Plasmodium ovale or Plasmodium vivax infection, in addition to medication such as chloroquine to target the blood stages of the parasite, an additional drug, called primaquine, may also be required. Primaquine kills the … [Read more...]