[Malaria at the medical center of the mission of French cooperation in Bissao].

Malaria is the leading cause of disease in Guinea-Bissau. The consequences of the disease are further compounded by extremely low living conditions in one of the poorest nations of Africa. The Medical Dispensary and Social Center ran by the mission of the French Cooperation and Cultural Action in Bissau has set up a program to screen, treat, and monitor malaria. Screening and monitoring are greatly facilitated by systematic use of the Quantitative Buffy Coat test for plasmodium that has developed by Becton-Dickinson Laboratories. The purpose of this retrospective report is to describe routine clinical and parasitological data collected at the Dispensary between September 1995 and June 1997. This study confirms the endemic nature of malaria which accounted for 15% of consultations during the study period. Chloroquine or a combination of sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine was effective in 85% of cases. The efficacy of these low-cost drugs is important within the local context. The program implemented at the Medical Dispensary and Social Center of Bissau should provide a useful tool for national health authorities to monitor changes in the endemic level of the disease and effectiveness of treatment.