In a district with high P. falciparum burden, patients treated with ACT also receive a single low dose of primaquine (0.75 mg/kg). The public health purpose of this additional dose is:

• A To prevent relapse from dormant liver stages
• B To destroy circulating gametocytes and reduce onward transmission ✓
• C To provide post-exposure chemoprophylaxis to household contacts
• D To protect against reinfection during the convalescent period

Explanation

ACT clears asexual blood-stage parasites but mature falciparum gametocytes survive longer. A single 0.75 mg/kg dose of primaquine sterilises gametocytes, cutting transmission from the treated patient to mosquitoes even if parasitaemia was already cleared. Relapse prevention needs the prolonged 14-day vivax regimen, which is irrelevant here because P. falciparum has no hypnozoites.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.