A report on Malaria, Antimalarial medication, Mefloquine and Chloroquine

Antimalarial medications or simply antimalarials are a type of antiparasitic chemical agent, often naturally derived, that can be used to treat or to prevent malaria, in the latter case, most often aiming at two susceptible target groups, young children and pregnant women.

Mefloquine, sold under the brand name Lariam among others, is a medication used to prevent or treat malaria.

Chloroquine is a medication primarily used to prevent and treat malaria in areas where malaria remains sensitive to its effects.

As well, despite very positive outcomes from many modern treatments, serious side effects can impact some individuals taking standard doses (e.g., retinopathy with chloroquine, acute haemolytic anaemia with tafenoquine).

It is especially useful in areas where there is known to be a high level of resistance to chloroquine, mefloquine, and sulfa drug combinations with pyrimethamine.

Mefloquine is used as a treatment for chloroquine-sensitive or resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria, and is deemed a reasonable alternative for uncomplicated chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium vivax malaria.

It is not recommended for severe malaria infections, particularly infections from P. falciparum, which should be treated with intravenous antimalarials.

The recommended treatment for malaria is a combination of antimalarial medications that includes artemisinin.

The second medication may be either mefloquine, lumefantrine, or sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine.

In areas where resistance is present, other antimalarials, such as mefloquine or atovaquone, may be used instead.

Resistance among the parasites has developed to several antimalarial medications; for example, chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum has spread to most malarial areas, and resistance to artemisinin has become a problem in some parts of Southeast Asia.