MALARIA CONTROL AMONGST TROOPS INVOLVED IN COUNTER INSURGENCY OPERATION IN RESISTANT PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM AREAS

Area of Science:

• Tropical Medicine
• Military Health
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Background:

• Troops deployed in North East region jungles faced high malaria risk during counter-insurgency operations.
• Mosquito net use was impractical due to constant movement and outdoor living conditions.
• Standard malaria chemoprophylaxis was assessed for efficacy in this challenging environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare malaria incidence in troops between 1995 and 1996.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of increased chloroquine dosage for malaria prevention.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study of malaria cases in troops during two consecutive counter-insurgency operations (March-June).
• Troops received weekly chloroquine chemoprophylaxis: 300mg in 1995 and 600mg in 1996.
• Malaria incidence was recorded and statistically analyzed for both years.

Main Results:

• In 1995, with 300mg weekly chloroquine, 40 malaria cases (5% incidence) were reported.
• In 1996, with 600mg weekly chloroquine, only 3 malaria cases (0.40% incidence) were observed.
• The reduction in malaria incidence in 1996 was statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• Increasing weekly chloroquine dosage from 300mg to 600mg significantly reduced malaria incidence in troops.
• Higher-dose chloroquine chemoprophylaxis is effective in preventing malaria in deployed military personnel in high-risk jungle environments.