Antimalarial measures--type, sources of advice and compliance among tourists to Natal/KwaZulu

Typical advice on antimalarial measures provided by pharmacies as well as actual behaviour in this regard and sources of advice accessed by tourists to northern Natal/KwaZulu were canvassed by telephonic interviews with 70 pharmacies and 53 'care providers' (members of travel parties). Doctors (26%) and pharmacists (40%) were the most commonly approached sources of antimalarial advice. Professional recommendations frequently involved chloroquine-based drugs (80% of recommended drugs), despite the chloroquine-resistant status of the study area. Drug choice reflected the limited availability of new alternatives to chloroquine at the time the study was conducted, as well as ignorance of drug resistance in the area. Possible reasons for the inappropriate nature of many of the reported recommendations, as well as an approach to the dissemination of future prophylactic policy documents, are discussed.