Commonly Used Antimalarial Drugs in Calabar Metropolis, Nigeria

Mbah, Maurice

doi:10.23880/jidtm-16000138

Cited by 1 publication

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“…The most commonly prescribed oral ACT in this study was artemether-lumefantrine which is the first line drug for uncomplicated malaria according to the National Guidelines and was prescribed in 98.7% of patients given oral ACTs. This is in keeping with the report of Mbah et al ( 25 ) in Calabar which documented a high rate ACT prescription by clinicians but in contrast to Welle et al 's ( 26 ) study which reported low preference for ACT among health workers in Lokoja, Kogi State. This pattern of prescription may be due to the level of awareness of the oral ACTS, or lack of confidence in the other drugs on the National Guideline.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Malaria Diagnosis at the Pediatric Emergency Unit of a Teaching Hospital in Makurdi, North Central Nigeria

Michael A,

Samba NB,

Adikwu MG

et al. 2024

Ethiop J Health Sci

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BACKGROUND: Globally, there were 241 million cases of malaria in 2020, with an estimated 627,000 deaths with Nigeria accounting for 27% of the global malaria cases. In sub-Saharan Africa, testing is low with only 28% of children with a fever receiving medical advice or a rapid diagnostic test in 2021. In Nigeria, there are documented reports of over-diagnosis and over-treatment of malaria in children. Therefore, this study examined the diagnosis of malaria at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi. METHODS: A 5-year (2018-2022) retrospective study was carried out at the Emergency Pediatric Unit (EPU). Records of all children presenting to the EPU with an assessment of malaria were retrieved and reviewed. Data was analyzed using SPSS 23. RESULTS: Out of 206 children reviewed, 128 (62.1%) were tested using either malaria RDT or microscopy while 78(37.9%) were not tested. Out of the number tested, 59(46.1%) were negative while 69(53.9%) tested positive, of which 14(20.3%) had uncomplicated malaria while 55(79.7%) had severe malaria. However, while 97.1% (n=67) of the positive cases were treated with IV artesunate, 69.5% (n=41) of those who tested negative and 88.5% (69) of those who were not tested also received IV artesunate. Moreover, while 85.5% (n=59) of those who tested positive received oral artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), 72.9% (n=43) of those who tested negative and 67.9% (53) of those who were not tested also received oral ACT. CONCLUSION: There was over-diagnosis of malaria, and subsequently, over-treatment. Hence continued emphasis on parasitological confirmation of malaria before treatment is recommended.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%