Treatment of Chloroquine-Resistant Plasmodium vivax Malaria in India

Abstract

Background: Treatment failure in P. vivax Malaria is a major dilemma that faces health care workers. True
drug resistance is one of the causes after ruling out compliance and drug quality issues. The other two causes
are re-infection during the treatment period or the release of hypnozoites from the liver. Objectives: To find
out what antimalarials can be prescribed in India for treating Chloroquine-resistant P. vivax Malaria.
Methods: By reviewing documents prepared by the National Center for Vector-Borne Diseases Control
(NCVBDC) and doing a PUBMED search for articles that deal with Chloroquine-resistant P. vivax Malaria
treatment. Results: It was found that a fixed-dose combination of oral Artemether and Lumefantrine can be
given for Chloroquine-resistant P. vivax Malaria. Conclusions: There is a lack of awareness among health
care providers on how to treat Chloroquine-resistant P. vivax Malaria. This paper addresses this concern.