Piloting the Pv radical cure model in Cambodia

Center for Health and Social Development (HSD), Cambodia and the Cambodian National Malaria Program (CNM) have successfully piloted a new model of care for P. vivax.  Patients diagnosed in the community with P. vivax infection were referred to the local health centre for point of care testing. Dependent on their G6PD test result, they commenced 14 day or 8 weekly radical cure treatment with primaquine, then were followed up in the community. HSD’s research shows that the new model of care is highly feasible and acceptable to health care workers and to patients who were finally cured of recurrent malaria. Overall, tolerance and adherence to the Primaquine course were high, leading to scale up of this approach throughout Cambodia. Based on the results of the study, the radical cure model is being expanded nationwide.