Canadian recommendations for the prevention and treatment of malaria

Statements from the Committee to Advise on Tropical Medicine and Travel (CATMAT)

Overview

This guidance document is designed for Canadian health practitioners who prepare travellers to visit areas with a risk of malaria, and for those caring for ill travellers upon their return. The malaria guidelines aim to ensure appropriate prevention, diagnosis and management of this potentially life threatening infectious disease.

Who this guide is for

• Canadian health practitioners

In this guide

This guidance document consists of 8 chapters and 6 appendices. Chapters and appendices are updated as new evidence becomes available.

Table of contents

• Executive Summary
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Prevention and risk assessment
• Chapter 3: Prevention — bite protection measures and malaria education
• Chapter 4: Prevention — chemoprophylaxis regimens
• Chapter 5: Malaria issues in special hosts
  • 5.1 Prevention in special hosts — children
  • 5.2 Prevention in special hosts — pregnancy and breastfeeding
  • 5.3 Prevention in special hosts — long term traveller or expatriate
  • 5.4 Prevention in special hosts — travellers with co-morbidities
  • 5.5 Migrant and those visiting friends and relatives (VFR)
• Chapter 6: Malaria diagnosis
• Chapter 7: Treatment of malaria
• Chapter 8: Drugs for the prevention and treatment of malaria
• Appendix I: Malaria transmission and recommended preventive measures by geographical area
• Appendix II: Pre-travel checklist for advising travellers to malarial areas
• Appendix III: Frequently asked questions about malaria
• Appendix IV: Strength and quality of evidence summary
• Appendix V: Canadian malaria network accessing parenteral artesunate or quinine
• Appendix VI: Malaria card