SAGE-Hindawi Access to Research
Malaria Research and Treatment
Volume 2011, Article ID 217276
Drug resistance negatively impacts malaria treatments, making treatment policy revision unavoidable. So far, studies relating
sociopolitical and technical issues on policy change with malaria parasite genetic change are lacking.We have quantified the effect
of malaria treatment policy on drug pressure and the influence of the media, policy makers, and health worker relationship on
parasite population genetic change in Kilombro/Ulanga district. Cross-sectional surveys of asymptomatic infections conducted
before, during and after the switch from chloroquine to sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine were used for genetic analysis of SP
resistance genes in 4,513 asymptomatic infections identified, and their frequency change was compared with retrospective study of
the documented process of policy change. Highly significant changes of dhfr and dhps resistance alleles occurred within one year of
switch to SP first line, followed by a decline of their rate of selection caused by reduction of SP usage, as a result of negative media
reports on SP usage and lack of adequate preparations.