1985•Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and HygieneRequires access
A comparison of chloroquine and pyrimethamine as malaria chemoprophylactics in young Nigerian children
Alice M. Bradley-Moore, Brian M Greenwood, A. K. Bradley, A. Akintunde, E. D. E. Attai, A. F. Fleming, Anne L. Bartlett, D.E. Biowell, Alister Voller, Betty R. Kirkwooo, H. M. Gilles
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Abstract
The efficacy of chloroquine and pyrimethamine as malaria chemoprophylactics was investigated in young Nigerian children. Chloroquine resistance had not been documented in the study area; pyrimethamine resistance was probably present but uncommon. Children who received weekly chemoprophylaxis with pyrimethamine had a lower prevalence of malaria parasitaemia and malaria antibodies than children who received weekly chemoprophylaxis with chloroquine. Pyrimethamine given monthly gave a comparable degree of protection to chloroquine given weekly. Chloroquine frequently induced vomiting in young children and this may have impaired its efficacy as a prophylactic. We conclude that, in an area where neither chloroquine nor pyrimethamine resistance is prevalent, pyrimethamine is a better chemoprophylactic for young children than chloroquine.