Publication:

Efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Northeast Ethiopia

Background The impact of resistance to antimalarials is insidious and unless efficacy studies are conducted, resistance may go unrecognized. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of artemether/lumefantrine, for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum infections in Kemisie Health Center, Northeast Ethiopia.

Methods Artemether/lumefantrine efficacy study was conducted in Kemisie Health Center, Northeast Ethiopia from September, 2012 to May, 2013. The study participants were febrile people above the age of 6 months with confirmed uncomplicated P. falciparum infection. Patients were treated with artemether/lumefantrine. Clinical and parasitological parameters were monitored over a 28 days follow-up period to evaluate drug efficacy. The Kaplan–Meier method was used for statistical analysis of data on drug efficacy.

Results Among the 66 enrolled participants 72.7% were 15 and above years of age while 15.3% were less than 5 years old. Of these study participants, 53% were male. There was 89.4% fever clearance and 84.8% parasite clearance on day 1, whereas, there was 100% fever clearance and 96.8% parasite clearance on day 3 from the 62 participants who carried on the study. Among 66 participants who had started 28 days of follow-up one patient had an early parasitological failure (parasitemia on day 3) and another patient had a late parasitological failure (parasitemia on day 21).

Conclusions In general, this study discovered good clinical and parasitological response of P. falciparum to artemether/lumefantrine. Further polymeric chain reaction and plasma drug concentration based effectiveness study of artemether/lumefantrine should be conducted throughout the country.