CHLOROQUINE PHOSPHATE SUPPOSITORIES IN THE TREATMENT OF CHILDHOOD MALARIA IN CALABAR, NIGERIA

In a randomized, prospective study of the therapy of acute falciparum malaria in 69 children, aged 6 to 60 months, the results of treatment with chloroquine phosphate suppositories (30 patients) and chloroquine sulfate syrup (39 patients) were compared. Each patient received 25-m g chloroquine base/kg body weight over 3 consecutive days (day 0, 10 m g/kg; day 1, 10 mg/kg; and day 2, 5 mg/kg). The parasitologic cure rat e was 33% (10/30) in the chloroquine phosphate suppository group and 3 6% (14/39) in the chloroquine sulfate syrup group. In addition, the me an pretreatment parasite counts of the chloroquine-sensitive cases wer e not significantly different in the two groups. However, pyrexia reso lved slightly more slowly in the suppository group, although all sensi tive patients in both groups were afebrile on day 3. The results sugge st that chloroquine phosphate suppositories are as effective as chloro quine sulfate syrup in the treatment of children with malaria caused b y chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium falciparum.