ARTEMETHER IN MODERATELY SEVERE AND CEREBRAL MALARIA IN NIGERIAN CHILDREN

Intramuscular artemether was compared with intramuscular sulfadoxine-p yrimethamine in Nigerian children with moderately severe malaria requi ring parenteral therapy. Artemether produced significantly shorter par asite and fever clearance times but a higher parasite recrudescence ra te than sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. There was no significant difference in their initial parasitological cure rates-100% for artemether, 98% for sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. In a separate study intramuscular artem ether was compared with intravenous quinine in children with cerebral malaria. There was no significant difference between the 2 drugs in pa rasite and fever clearance times, time to regain consciousness, or rec rudescence rate. There was an overall mortality of 16.7%, with 12% in the artemether group and 21% in the quinine group. Artemether was well tolerated. There was no abnormal change in haematological and biochem ical features monitored and there was no adverse clinical reaction. Th ese results show that artemether is a potentially useful drug for mode rate and severe malaria and its place in the chemotherapy of malaria d eserves further study.