Efficacy of Focal Primaquine Mass Administration for Eliminating Plasmodium Vivax Malaria in Northern Myanmar

"A population census was conducted in each village in August 2019 to record the demographic information and malaria histories of the villagers. Vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children under 7 years were excluded from PQ administration.~Both Group 1 \&2 underwent a preliminary clinical assessment to exclude individuals with G6PD deficiency and low hemoglobin levels.~Based on the WHO malaria treatment guidelines, a standard PQ regimen of 0.25 mg PQ base/kg body weight daily for 14 days was administered through directly observed treatment (DOT) to ensure drug intake and monitor potential adverse effects. The safety of each participant was monitored by follow-up blood testing using Hemocue's hemoglobin photometers to track changes in hemoglobin levels.~As per cross-over design, eligible individulas from Group-1 received PQ-MDA in year 1 and Group-2 received PR-MDA in the following year."