Experiences with malaria chemoprophylaxis in Dutch troops

This article describes the situation for malaria chemoprophylaxis among Dutch military personnel. Any malaria chemoprophylaxis advice given to Dutch troops is based on a close co-operation between national military and civilian experts. Most studies, related to a deployment in Cambodia, describe the experiences with mefloquine. Overall it has been well tolerated. From an African deployment, it has been learned that anticircumsporozoite antibodies could be demonstrated in 11% of the personnel. Future options for Dutch troops will concentrate on atovaquone/proguanil and tafenoquine. Furthermore some kind of individualisation will be accepted. In conclusion malaria in Dutch troops has remained a manageable problem but vigilance remains necessary.