Malaria chemoprophylaxis with chloroquine in young Nigerian children. III. Its effect on nutrition.

The nutrition of a group of Nigerian children who received weekly chemoprophylaxis with chloroquine during their first one or two years of life was compared with the nutrition of a group of children exposed frequently to malaria. Fewer episodes of severe malnutrition and fewer deaths from malnutrition occurred among protected than among control children. Protected children tended to be taller and heavier than control children and to have a larger mid-upper arm circumference. Mean serum albumin and pre-albumin levels were higher in protected than in control children. However differences between the two groups were small and only in a few instances were they statistically significant.