Effectiveness of an Unsupervised Primaquine Regimen for Preventing Plasmodium vivax Malaria Relapses in Northeast Myanmar: A Single-Arm Nonrandomized Observational Study

Abstract

Abstract Background Plasmodium vivax presents a significant challenge for malaria elimination in the Greater Mekong Subregion. We evaluated the effectiveness of primaquine for reducing relapses of vivax malaria. Methods Patients with uncomplicated P vivax malaria from eastern Myanmar received chloroquine (25-mg base/kg given in 3 days) plus unsupervised PQ (0.25 mg/kg/d for 14 days) without screening for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and were followed for a year. Results A total of 556 patients were enrolled to receive the chloroquine/primaquine treatment from February 2012 to August 2013. During the follow-up, 38 recurrences were detected, presenting a cumulative recurrence rate of 9.1% (95% CI, 4.1%–14.1%). Genotyping at the pvmsp1 and pvmsp3α loci by amplicon deep sequencing and model prediction indicated that 13 of the 27 recurrences with genotyping data were likely due to relapses. Notably, all confirmed relapses occurred within the first 6 months. Conclusions The unsupervised standard dose of primaquine was highly effective as a radical cure for P vivax malaria in eastern Myanmar. The high presumed effectiveness might have benefited from the health messages delivered during the enrollment and follow-up activities. Six-month follow-ups in the Greater Mekong Subregion are sufficient for detecting most relapses.