Document Abstract
Published:
2012
Pre-referral rectal artesunate: treatment of childhood malaria in the community
A manual for community health workers on the pre-referral use of rectal artesunate for childhood malaria
This manual for trainers and community health workers (CHWs) concentrates specifically upon childhood malaria and its danger signs, clarifying the conditions for use of pre-referral treatment with rectal artesunate.
Key messages include:
Key messages include:
- symptoms of fever in a child can evolve in a very short time to become severe malaria with convulsions or other danger signs, thus delays in giving treatment means their symptoms get worse, and can cause death
- the success of pre-referral treatment depends on how well CHWs communicate with the child's caregiver and how early the child is brought for treatment
- danger signs of malaria must be carefully looked for; for example, fever must be recognised and unusually sleepy or unconscious must be noticed
- if danger signs of severe malaria exist, the child must be treated with an artesunate suppository and referred urgently to the health facility.
- to identify the child's problems, CHWs have to learn how to ask the right questions of the caregiver and then look at the child for signs of illness
- a suppository is not a complete treatment, it is used once as emergency treatment for a child with danger signs of severe malaria; therefore, CHWs must be firm and explain that this medicine alone is not enough
- finding a solution for transporting a child with a danger sign to a health facility is crucial; solutions can be found at the community level
- to help immediate treatment at the health facility, a referral note should be written for the health facility, and the caregiver need to understand the importance of timely care and treatment.
