Probable chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria in south-western Africa.

Chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria has been described in East, Central and West Africa. We report on 2 patients with probable chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum malaria in south-western Africa. Both patients had been in northern SWA/Namibia and southern Angola, but had taken prophylactic chloroquine. Despite the subsequent administration of adequate courses of chloroquine therapy, the parasitaemias failed to clear completely. Eventual clinical and laboratory-proven cure was only obtained in 1 case after combined quinine and tetracycline therapy. To our knowledge, these represent the first cases of probable chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum malaria acquired in this area.