Adherence to Primaquine treatment in six states and regions in Myanmar

Primaquine (PQ) was introduced to antimalarial treatment policy in Myanmar in 2011. For Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) 0.25mg/kg/day PQ was given by health staff for 14 days and 0.75mg/kg/week by volunteers for 8 weeks. 

This was a cross sectional descriptive study, applying quantitative methods. It was conducted in eight townships in Myanmar where malaria control projects have been implemented by seven INGOs, and it looked at three groups:

1. Malaria patients infected with P. vivax and mixed infection;
2. Malaria patients infected with Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) ;
3. Malaria health care providers (service providers)

The first population was further stratified into patients treated by health staff (with the 14 day regimen) and patients treated by volunteers (with the 8 weeks regimen). Specific pretested structured questionnaires were used to interview each type of study population. Case management registers were also reviewed to assess compliance with national treatment guidelines by service providers.

Results: 12% of patients who had been prescribed PQ by health staff were certainly non-adherent due to either admitting not taking all medicines or having leftover pills while another 44% were probably nonadherent due to reporting incorrect use of prescribed PQ regimen. Hence 44% were probably adherent to the prescribed regimen. For patients treated by volunteers, the results showed 8% certainly nonadherent, 46% probably non-adherent and 46% probably adherent.

Project information

Drug-based Strategies

Jan 2015 — Dec 2015

Myanmar