TY - JOUR
T1 - Village malaria workers for the community-based management of vivax malaria
AU - Adhikari, Bipin
AU - Tripura, Rupam
AU - Peto, Thomas J.
AU - Callery, James J.
AU - von Seidlein, Lorenz
AU - Dysoley, Lek
AU - Dondorp, Arjen M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors
PY - 2023/2/1
Y1 - 2023/2/1
N2 - In Cambodia, malaria cases are on a trajectory towards the goal of malaria elimination by 2025. Vivax malaria is difficult to eliminate because of hypnozoites that can cause relapse. Primaquine, an 8-aminoquinoline, clears hypnozoites but requires testing for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Routine primaquine treatment of vivax malaria has recently been implemented in Cambodia in which Village Malaria Workers (VMWs) diagnose vivax malaria by rapid diagnostic test and refer patients to health centres for G6PD testing and further treatment. Patients are referred back to the VMWs for monitoring adverse symptoms and treatment adherence. This article explores how VMWs’ roles might be optimized for the community-based management of vivax malaria. With sufficient training and supervision, the role of VMWs might be expanded to include G6PD testing, making referral to the health centre superfluous. Community-based management of vivax malaria could increase the coverage of radical cure and accelerate vivax malaria elimination.
AB - In Cambodia, malaria cases are on a trajectory towards the goal of malaria elimination by 2025. Vivax malaria is difficult to eliminate because of hypnozoites that can cause relapse. Primaquine, an 8-aminoquinoline, clears hypnozoites but requires testing for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Routine primaquine treatment of vivax malaria has recently been implemented in Cambodia in which Village Malaria Workers (VMWs) diagnose vivax malaria by rapid diagnostic test and refer patients to health centres for G6PD testing and further treatment. Patients are referred back to the VMWs for monitoring adverse symptoms and treatment adherence. This article explores how VMWs’ roles might be optimized for the community-based management of vivax malaria. With sufficient training and supervision, the role of VMWs might be expanded to include G6PD testing, making referral to the health centre superfluous. Community-based management of vivax malaria could increase the coverage of radical cure and accelerate vivax malaria elimination.
KW - Community and stakeholder engagement
KW - Community health workers
KW - Health system integration
KW - Malaria
KW - Village malaria workers
KW - Vivax malaria management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85150779480&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lansea.2022.100128
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lansea.2022.100128
M3 - Review article
C2 - 37383038
SN - 2772-3682
VL - 9
JO - The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia
JF - The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia
M1 - 100128
ER -