[Side effects of chemoprophylaxis: real or imagined?]

Prescribing chemoprophylaxis against malaria is a medical act which is often controversial. The choice of appropriate molecule depends on destination, length of stay and tolerance to a given product. This latter aspect is difficult to evaluate. Among the three most commonly used drugs for malarial prevention--Savarine, Lariam and doxycycline--the first enjoys the reputation of being well tolerated, the second is perceived as being poorly tolerated and the third, little used until now, is suspected of serious complications. It is impossible to say by reviewing the available literature, which of these three molecules is indeed the least well tolerated, but the studies have followed heterogeneous evaluation methods. We propose that the various scientific associations concerned by the issue draw together an information sheet on side effects so as to encourage practioners to investigate all cases of intolerance of antimalarial drugs.