Despite progress in ongoing global malaria control initiatives, the disease continues to exert a substantial toll of preventable childhood deaths in endemic countries, many in tropical regions. Debate continues, however, about the merits of referring children with suspected malaria to a hospital or health centre for parenteral treatment—often requiring travel over substantial distances and incurring delays—versus providing prompt antimalarial treatment in the community prior to referral. In a Policy Forum, James Watson, Thomas Peto and Nicholas White discuss recent WHO guidelines relating to pre-referral treatment of children with suspected severe malaria residing in remote areas with rectal artesunate suppositories.
Image Credit: ArtsyBee, Pixabay
Policy Forum
Rectal artesunate suppositories for the pre-referral treatment of suspected severe malaria
PLOS Medicine: published November 9, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004312
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