Malaria Prophylaxis/radical cure : recent experiences of the Australian defence force

Médecine Tropicale • 2001 • 61 • 156 Congrès BACKGROUND PROPHYLAXIS IN THE AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE Over the past two decades the Australian Defence Fo rce(ADF) has deployed personnel on peace-enforcement and - monitoring duties in areas where malaria is... More

Médecine Tropicale • 2001 • 61 • 156 Congrès BACKGROUND PROPHYLAXIS IN THE AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE Over the past two decades the Australian Defence Fo rce(ADF) has deployed personnel on peace-enforcement and - monitoring duties in areas where malaria is endemic such as Cambodia, Somalia, and more recently East Timor. The ADF uses chemoprophylaxis and personal protection measures to protect its personnel from malaria infections. The increasing spread of multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falci parum malaria has led to an urgent need for new prophylactic drugs and, as part of this effort, the ADF is highly supportive of evaluating prophylactic agents, particularly those with novel modes of action. Currently, for malaria prophylaxis, the ADF uses doxycycline as its first line pro p hylactic drug and for those who cannot tolerate the antibiotic, mefloquine is recommended. Both drugs are considered the most effective malaria chemoprophylactic agents available today. Mefloquine has a long Less