Effectiveness of Artemisinin Combination Regimens in Falciparum Malaria (ACT)

Malaria in Myanmar:

In Myanmar, malaria is the number one cause of morbidity. According to the Department of Health (DoH) and WHO there are approximately 500,000 patients with malaria each year. About 80% of reported infections are due to Plasmodium falciparum and 20% are due to Plasmodium vivax. This is likely to be a severe underestimation. MSF-Holland alone treats already 250,000 slide positive malaria patients per year in an area of mixed endemicity covering a population of less that 1 million patients out of a total population of 54 million in the country.

Chloroquine was the first line treatment for falciparum malaria for the last five decades. In 1996 and 1998 MSF-Holland with support from the Wellcome Trust (Prof N. White) performed studies in the northern and western part of the country, in which very high in-vivo resistance levels to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine were demonstrated1,2. Combination treatment of mefloquine plus artesunate (loose tablets) \[MA(LT)\]and treatment with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) both proved highly efficacious (99-100%)3,4. The studies performed by MSF provided an important component of the evidence used to convince the health authorities that a change of national protocol was needed. In 2001, the DOH of Myanmar changed the national protocol for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria; a 3 day treatment of mefloquine-artesunate was chosen to become the first line treatment. Artemether-lumefantrine (AL) and DP are also mentioned in the national protocol as effective treatment regimens, but there is a call in the protocol for more research of these treatments.

These changes in policy are a very good step forward and were widely respected. In practice, some problems remain.

MSF has implemented large malaria activities in Myanmar over the past decade. The programme has performed a diagnostic test for malaria for approximately 3,000,000 patients and approximately 1,500,000 patients have been treated with artemisinin combination treatment (ACT).