Assessment of Malaria Prevalence and Evaluation of Therapeutic Efficacy of Artemether/Lumefantrine (Coartem®) against Uncomplicated Falciparum Malaria in Wondogenet Woreda, SNNPR, Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess malaria prevalence and to evaluate therapeutic efficacy of Coartem® for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Wondogenet Woreda, Sidama Zone, Ethiopia. Since the spread of Plasmodium falciparum, parasite resistance to almost all antimalarial monotherapies is a serious impediment to malaria control. Artemether-lumefantrine (Coartem®) therapy has been in use as the first-line treatment for uncomplicated falciparum malaria since 2004 in Ethiopia. The study was designed according to WHO, 2003 study protocol. The study outcomes were classified into early treatment failure (ETF), late clinical failure (LCF), late parasitological failure (LPF) and adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR). The five-year retrospective data showed an initial decline in malaria prevalence. However, an increasing buildup of cases was observed in 2009. Primary study was also conducted on ninety-nine P. falciparum mono-infected consenting patients who were enrolled in the 28-day in vivo Coartem® treatment followup study. Based on this, the overall cure rate for Coartem® was 98.9% (PCR uncorrected). The study also demonstrated 4.3% Plasmodium vivax and 2.2% P. falciparum/P. vivax co-infections at the end of followup period. There is slight difference with age groups. Following Coartem® treatment, fever was cleared rapidly on days 1 and 2 and parasite clearance was high on days 1 and 3. Therefore, the study showed a high therapeutic efficacy of Coartem® for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Wondogenet Woreda.

Keywords: Coartem®, Wondogenet Woreda, cure rate, malaria, parasitemia

 Cite this Article

Esmael B. Assessment of malaria prevalence and evaluation of therapeutic efficacy of artemether/aumefantrine (Coartem®) against uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Wondogenet Woreda, SNNPR, Ethiopia. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Pharmaceutical Science. 2015; 5(2): 26–34p.