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[Malaria and children who travel - prophylaxis and therapy]

Patricia Schlagenhauf1, Sabine Haller, Noémie Wagner

  • 1Zentrum für Reisemedizin, Institut für Sozial- und Präventivmedizin, World Health Organization, Collaborating Centre for Travellers' Health, Universität Zürich. pat@ifspm.uzh.ch

Therapeutische Umschau. Revue Therapeutique
|June 5, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Preventing imported malaria in traveling children involves awareness, bite prevention, and appropriate chemoprophylaxis. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for pediatric malaria, an emergency requiring prompt medical attention.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Travel Medicine
  • Global Health

Context:

  • Children represent 15-20% of imported malaria cases globally, with highest risk among immigrant children visiting sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Malaria prevention in pediatric travelers relies on the ABCD principles: Awareness, Bite prevention, Chemoprophylaxis, and Diagnosis/Treatment.
  • Limited pediatric data on antimalarial dosage, pharmacokinetics, and tolerability complicates prevention strategies.

Purpose:

  • To provide guidance on malaria prevention and management in children traveling to endemic areas.
  • To highlight practical advice for pre-travel consultations, including mosquito bite prevention and specific antimalarial dosages.
  • To emphasize the importance of prompt diagnosis and treatment for pediatric malaria.

Summary:

  • Pre-travel advice should cover mosquito protection and precise weight-based antimalarial dosages for chemoprophylaxis or standby treatment.
  • Paediatric formulations of atovaquone-proguanil (for >11 kg) and mefloquine (for >5 kg) are available for prophylaxis.
  • Artemether-lumefantrine dispersible tablets are recommended for standby emergency treatment in young children; post-travel illness requires immediate malaria suspicion and care.

Impact:

  • Ensuring appropriate malaria prevention strategies for pediatric travelers can reduce the burden of imported malaria in non-endemic regions.
  • Improved adherence to chemoprophylaxis through practical advice and palatable formulations can enhance protection.
  • Timely diagnosis and treatment of pediatric malaria are critical to prevent severe outcomes and mortality.

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