Organization of prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment for malaria in France

The prophylaxis of malaria has become difficult because of drug tolerance and the development of drug resistance. In order to avoid discordant and sometimes inadequate prescriptions for travelers, there is a need for controlled, updated, and largely available data for GPs, pharmacists, and for the staff of travel agencies. Because malaria is a rare disease in non specialized centers and because of its potential severity, physicians, especially in emergency units, need standardized procedures for the diagnosis, treatment, or to decide on hospitalization. In addition, access to well promoted Reference Centers would be of great help to practitioners. (C) 1999 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.