[Many travellers suffer of side-effects of malaria prophylaxis]

Abstract

There is still uncertainty about the frequency of side effects associated with the use of malaria prophylaxis. The biggest concern has been that of meflokin. The aim of the study was to compare different symptoms in travellers taking different prophylactic malaria drugs with a control group travelling to the same area. Travellers seeking advice at a vaccination clinic in the south of Sweden were asked to fill in questionnaires before and after returning from their travel. 303 participants returned both questionnaires, a response rate of 62%. The results showed that a greater proportion of the travellers taking malaria prophylaxis reported symptoms in comparison with that of the control group (59% vs. 41%). Also, in comparison to the control group, travellers taking chemoprophylaxis more often felt that their trip had been negatively affected by the reported symptoms. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were most common in the group taking meflokin although no significant difference between the different regimes was found. These symptoms were very rare in the control group. Gastrointestinal symptoms were most frequent in the group taking chloroquine and proguanil. A low proportion of those symptoms were connected to the chemoprofylaxis according to the travellers. Travellers taking meflokin more frequently associated their symptoms with the drug. The travellers, being most worried about taking malaria prophylaxis prior to the trip, reported symptoms more often than those not feeling any anxiety.