Abstract:
This review concentrates on different aspects of malaria chemoprophylaxis, namely drug
combinations, resistance, impact of malaria prevention in pregnancy and cost effectiveness.
A MEDLINE search was performed for all articles with the key word ‘Malaria’ in the title field
and ‘Prophylaxis’ in any field. The search was restricted to articles published in English within
the last decade (1999-2009). Data sources included review articles published in core clinical
journals, cohort studies, interventional studies, case control studies and cross sectional analyses.
The mechanism of action, trial evidence of efficacy, side effects and geographical distribution of
resistance is discussed for each prophylactic drug regimen. Impact of prophylaxis in pregnancy
and the cost considerations are discussed under two separate sub topics.
