The South African Society of Travel Medicine (SASTM), South African Paediatric Association (SAPA) and Southern African Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases (SASPID) join hands with the South African Malaria Elimination Committee (SAMEC) and academics to prevent the stockout of malaria prophylaxis for children in the South African market ahead of the winter holiday exodus to high-risk malaria areas.

It has come to our attention that there is an imminent stockout of the only medicine for the prevention of malaria in toddlers and young children in South Africa, as stocks of the only current supplier, AcinoSwiss, will expire by end July 2023.

This comes at a critical point when many families will be heading out to malaria endemic areas in the Lowveld and neighbouring states, e.g., Mozambique, and follows on mefloquine, the only medication suitable for babies and pregnant women who must travel to malaria risk areas, no longer being marketed in South Africa…

Representatives of the societies and SAMEC met with AcinoSwiss, the sole supplier of Malanil Paediatric, earlier this week, to find an urgent solution. The company is immediately making available a supply of tablets still in stock, but with short expiry dates, at end July 2023. The tablets will be available at certain travel clinics and pharmacies...