Short Course Primaquine for the Radical Cure of P. Vivax Malaria - Indonesia

Significant gains have been made in reducing the overall burden of malaria worldwide, however these have been far greater for Plasmodium falciparum than P. vivax. P. vivax remains a major obstacle to malaria control and elimination efforts, largely due to its ability to form dormant liver stages (hypnozoites) that allow it to escape detection and treatment. Importantly, they are susceptible only to 8 aminoquinolines such as primaquine however, primaquine is associated with risk of haemolysis in individuals with a genetic condition, called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Additionally, the recommended 14-day prolonged treatment regimen is associated with poor treatment adherence hence ineffective primaquine treatment. Innovative solutions to the radical cure of both the blood and liver stages of P. vivax are urgently required. The Indonesian Ministry of Health has requested a pragmatic study of the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of implementing point-of-care G6PD testing followed by high-dose, short-course primaquine treatment regimens for patients with vivax malaria. These interventions are to be combined with practicable enhancements to patient education, supervision, malariometric surveillance and pharmacovigilance. This will be a before-after longitudinal health facility-based study implemented at six sites in Indonesia; four in Papua, one in North Sumatra and one in Lampung. We will use a staged approach for the implementation of the revised case management strategy, including patient education and counselling,community-based clinical review, with mixed methods evaluation.