4th Report - An acceptable risk? The use of Lariam by military personnel

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government states that the MoD will address the Committee's recommendations through a revised malaria prevention policy, while maintaining that mefloquine (Lariam) continues to be recommended by Public Health England and the World Health Organisation as safe and effective.

• On risk assessments, the revised policy "will direct that all anti-malaria drugs are only supplied after a face-to-face travel health risk assessment". Where this is "physically not possible", a trained Medical Assistant or Medical Technician will carry it out.
• On the call for an audit of Lariam prescriptions since 2013, the government says a retrospective audit "is neither straightforward nor practicable". It will instead undertake a prospective audit of returning travellers "once the revised policy is approved".
• On the Committee's view that Lariam is incompatible with operational duties, the MoD "acknowledges and respects" that opinion but says it is "not aware of any peer-reviewed evidence" that any ACMP-recommended anti-malarial is incompatible with those duties.
• On a single point of contact, work is "in hand to recruit" a team, which it is "anticipated" will be manned by 1 September 2016, with contact details to be publicised widely.

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