How much artesunate should a child with malaria take?

How does dosing change with a child’s weight?

Children receive 4 mg/kg of artesunate once daily for three days. Weight brackets replace the exact calculation in practice: 5–9 kg gets 25 mg, 10–20 kg gets 50 mg, 21–40 kg gets 100 mg, and 41–60 kg gets 200 mg. Doctors weigh the child first and adjust the dose if the child falls outside these brackets.

How is the medicine given to young children?

Tablets can be crushed and mixed with water or a small amount of breast milk for infants. Rectal suppositories serve as an emergency option when a child cannot swallow or keep medicine down; the rectal dose is still 10 mg/kg at zero and 12 hours, then 10 mg/kg once daily until oral treatment resumes.

How long does the full course last?

The schedule is three days total. On day one the child takes the first dose immediately, then repeats the same amount at 12 hours. Days two and three each add one daily dose. Completing all doses prevents recrudescence.

What follow-up care is needed after the last dose?

Health workers check the child 28 days later for any return of fever or parasites. In high-risk areas, a single low-dose primaquine may be added on day two or three to block transmission to mosquitoes, but this step is omitted in infants under six months.

When does the patent for artesunate expire?

The original compound patent expired decades ago, so multiple generic manufacturers supply the drug. No major new patents block generic artesunate, and prices remain low in malaria-endemic regions.

Which organizations set the weight-based guidelines?

WHO malaria treatment guidelines and national malaria control programs publish the exact schedules. Local clinics follow these tables rather than performing independent calculations for each patient.