Malaria: protection of the international traveler

Thorough counseling with emphasis on the importance of mosquito bite avoidance, as well as on compliance with prophylactic antimalarial regimens, remains an important task for the physician preparing a patient for international travel. Chloroquine continues to be the drug of choice for prophylaxis in areas not reporting chloroquine resistance. Otherwise, mefloquine is the first-line agent. Under special circumstances, alternatives to mefloquine can be employed and include doxycycline or proguanil plus chloroquine.