Malaria Drug

Aralen is New Anti- Malaria Drug

AFTER reading the article “Paludrine Under a Cloud” (PIM, May, 1950), I was curious to know whether or not Aralen (pronounced Airalen) is used to any extent in the Territory. I be lieve it is an American drug as my first contact with it came in a US Army Hos pital.

While I was visiting a close friend in the heart ward, one of the doctors mak ing his rounds became interested in my blue finger-nails. I also told him I had a blue palate, too. When he couldn’t guess the reason, I told him that it was caused from using Atebrin for 6i years.

The doctor then began to tell me about Aralen and said that, so far as had been notified since its introduction in 1946, there had been no known recurrences of malaria. This was July, 1949.

I was anxious to obtain Aralen, but was told that I must first get malaria. So I stopped my daily Atebrin and four months later I entered the hos pital with a nice case of malaria. The fever recurred every other day and it was some time before a positive smear could be obtained. When it did I was asked to have just one more please, so as to check as to whether mine was a single or mixed type.

Then came the day for the Aralen. It was in an in-between day, and it so upset the wog that the fever came on a day ahead of schedule. The treat ment, all total, was but ten tablets over a period of three days, and the fever went, but promptly. It has not come back, to date.

Checking with my family doctor here in USA we found that as a prophylactic but two tablets are taken each week. I have since heard from my friend, the Rev. Hans Wagner, of the Lutheran Mission Station, Ulap, NG, who wrote that they are using Aralen with good results.

Incidentally my malaria came on when my resistance was nearly to the break ing point, due to an unknown lot of hookworms which the hospital discovered.

Nevertheless, I still long for New Guinea.

I believe the “chloro”—something, men tioned in the article, was the drug Chloroquine which I too have not heard

any reports on,

Sumit.