Consumption of chloroquine phosphate provided for treatment of malaria by volunteer village health workers in Saradidi, Kenya.

A community-based malaria control programme in Saradidi, Kenya provided chloroquine treatment for malaria in each village beginning in May 1982. Malaria was holoendemic in Saradidi. Treatment was provided by volunteer community health workers chosen and supported by the village. Consumption of the drug and characteristics of persons treated were recorded. Between 1 September 1982 to 31 August 1983, 40,649 treatments with chloroquine were given to village residents. The treatment rate per person in the mid-year population was 1.24. However, at least 41.8% of the mid-year population of 32,650 did not receive a single treatment. Multiple treatments were given to 50.5% of persons treated at least once and 13.4% of 13,879 persons treated at least once received five or more treatments during the year. Consumption patterns were not random: they were higher in females, in persons above 30 years of age and in the area with greater community organization and community participation. There is need to ascertain the reasons why so large a proportion of the population never received a single treatment in this highly malarious area and why adults who should not have had a high frequency of clinical malaria were treated so often. Nonetheless, the results demonstrate that volunteer community health workers can effectively provide treatment for malaria.