Infect Chemother.  2008 Oct;40(5):255-258. 10.3947/ic.2008.40.5.255.

Compliance with Atovaquone-Proguanil against Malaria of Korean Travelers Abroad

• Kwon NH
• Park TS
• Kang HS
• Kim SH
• Hwang LS
• Noh HJ
• Bang JH
• Kim JY
• Shin HS

• KMID: 2285048
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2008.40.5.255

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Recently, many Korean people travel abroad where malaria is prevalent. However, in Korea, relatively little is known about compliance of chemoprophylaxis against malaria. This study was performed to determine the factors influencing compliance of chemoprophylaxis against malaria in Korean travelers.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Face to face interview, telephone interview and e-mail correspondence were performed to 241 people who were prescribed with atovaquone-proguanil at the international travelers' clinic of National Medical Center between February 2007 and October 2007.
RESULTS
Total of 55 people out of 235 reported one or more events of adverse reactions after chemoprophylaxis (total 76 events). However, in 38 adverse events the link between chemoprophylaxis and adverse events were very weak. Compliance of malaria chemoprophylaxis with atovaquone-proguanil was 53.9% in the study group. The predictive factors for non-compliance were package tour, travel of business affair and young age group.
Conclusions
Compliance of malaria chemoprophylaxis in Korea travelers was low compared with Dutch and French studies. More efforts to increase compliance are needed, especially in travelers on package tour, business travel and people under age 40.

Keyword

Travel; Malaria; Chemoprophylaxis; Compliance; Atovaquone-proguanil

MeSH Terms

Aluminum Hydroxide
Atovaquone
Carbonates
Chemoprevention
Commerce
Compliance
Drug Combinations
Electronic Mail
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Korea
Malaria
Proguanil
Aluminum Hydroxide
Atovaquone
Carbonates
Drug Combinations
Proguanil

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