· It is important to monitor Malaria therapy in order to evaluate if it is effective
· Patients can be monitored clinically and/or by using laboratory test to confirm for absence/presence of malaria parasite in their blood
· A follow-up period after the completion of the Malaria therapy varies according to the drugs used.
· Follow-up periods longer than 14 days are appropriate for amodiaquine, chloroquine and SP which is 28 days
· For lumefantrine+artemether is 42 days,
· For mefloquine is 63 days
· This allows drug levels in the blood to fall below the minimum therapeutic threshold.
· Any recrudescence of parasites before this threshold is reached would be due to drug resistance
· Recrudescence after this threshold is reached is not necessarily related to resistance (even sensitive parasites could recrudesce if blood drug levels are subtherapeutic).
· Shorter follow-up (i.e. <14 days) will underestimate overall treatment failure rates
· It is also important for patient to report any adverse reaction of the drugs that may occurs during Malaria therapy.
References
Wells BG, DiPiro J, Schwinghammer T (2013), Pharmacotherapy Handbook (6th Ed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
DiPiro JT, Talbert RL, Yee GC, Matzke GR, Wells BG, Posey ML, (2008): Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach (7th ed): New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Katz M D., Matthias KR., Chisholm-Burns M A., Pharmacotherapy(2011) Principles & Practice Study Guide: A Case-Based Care Plan Approach: New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Schwinghammer TL, Koehler JM (2009) Pharmacotherapy Casebook: A Patient-Focused Approach (7th ed): New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.