Antimalarial Drug Use in Tropical Africa

Sample size: 3052 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Gardella Florence, Assi Serge, Simon Fabrice, Bogreau Hervé, Eggelte Teunis, Ba Fatou, Foumane Vincent, Henry Marie-Claire, Kientega Pélagie Traore, Basco Léonardo, Trape Jean-François, Lalou Richard, Martelloni Maryse, Desbordes Marc, Baragatti Meïli, Briolant Sébastien, Almeras Lionel, Pradines Bruno, Fusai Thierry, Rogier Christophe

Primary Institution: Unité de Recherche en Biologie et Epidémiologie Parasitaires (URBEP), IMTSSA, Marseille, France

Hypothesis

What geographical, socio-economic, and behavioral factors are associated with the use of antimalarial drugs in Africa?

Conclusion

Antimalarial drug pressure varies significantly across different sites, being higher in areas with intermediate malaria transmission and better accessibility.

Supporting Evidence

The prevalence of chloroquine in urine samples varied from 9% to 90% across different sites.
Children with a history of fever were more likely to have chloroquine in their urine.
Socio-economic level was significantly associated with the presence of chloroquine in urine.
Children aged 6-9 years had lower prevalence of chloroquine compared to those aged 2-5 years.
Accessibility to health services influenced the frequency of antimalarial drug use.

Takeaway

This study looked at how people in Africa use antimalarial drugs and found that where you live and how easy it is to get to a health center can change how often people take these medicines.

Methodology

The study evaluated the presence of chloroquine and pyrimethamine in urine samples from 3,052 children aged 2-9 years across 30 sites in Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon, using logistic regression analysis.