4-Aminoquinoline Prophylaxis of Malaria amongst Semi-Immune African School Children

Abstract

Drugs used for the prophylaxis of malaria are generally recommended in doses sufficient to suppress the disease in persons without immunity, these amounts being considerably in excess of those required for the protection of indigenous inhabitants of malarious districts. Information is not generally available concerning the smallest useful doses of the 4-aminoquinoline series of suppressives amongst school children who possess a high degree of premunition, because treatment varies from place to place in relation to differing degrees of immunity and infection risk. It is the purpose of the trials described in this report to demonstrate dosages of amodiaquine and chloroquine just sufficient to prevent overt parasitaemia in children aged 6 to 15 years native to areas of holoendemic malaria transmission in East and Central Africa where Plasmodium falciparum predominates.