Acute malaria in children in Madang: endemicity, clinical presentation and treatment.

Much of the present knowledge of the status of malaria in Papua New Guinea stems from a few studies carried out in the past. In the present situation there are many areas of uncertainty not least the effects of poor acceptance of residual spraying programmes and the emergence of chloroquine-resistant falciparum malaria. New anti-malarials are being developed, new methods of vector control may become useful and immunization may soon become possible. In order to assess the impact of these measures it is essential that they are studied in an area with a well defined population and where the current epidemiological situation is known.