[Not more symptoms with mefloquine use than with other drugs in malaria prophylaxis]. / Niet meer klachten bij mefloquinegebruik dan bij malariaprofylaxe met andere middelen.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of health problems and compliance with respect to malaria prophylaxis of travellers to the (sub)tropics. SETTING: Travel department of the Public Health Care Centre Groningen, the Netherlands. DESIGN: Retrospective follow-up study. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent out to 450 visitors to the Public Health Care Centre. They had stayed in the (sub)tropics for at most three months. Two subgroups used malaria prophylaxis (mefloquine or proguanil/proguanil-chloroquine): the control group used no prophylaxis. RESULTS: 40% of the 321 responders reported health problems during their stay in the (sub)tropics. Users of proguanil (with or without concurrent chloroquine prophylaxis) reported significantly more health problems (55%). Symptoms reported most frequently were vomiting and diarrhoea. Insomnia and neuropsychiatric disorders were reported only rarely (1%) and these complaints were equally distributed over the prophylaxis subgroups. The reported compliance with chemoprophylaxis was 77%. CONCLUSIONS: The frequently reported psychiatric complaints during use of mefloquine were not confirmed by this study. The compliance with malaria prophylaxis in this study was similar to that in other studies.

[The organization and implementation of influenza vaccination in Groningen, 1993-1996]. / Organisatie en uitvoering van de influenzavaccinatie in Groningen, 1993-1996.

OBJECTIVE: To find out to what extent the recommendations from the standard 'Influenza and influenza vaccination' of the Dutch association of general practitioners (NHG) were implemented by the GPs in the period 1993-1996. DESIGN: Descriptive questionnaire study. SETTING: Municipal Health Services Groningen, the Netherlands. METHOD: All GPs active in the province of Groningen were sent a questionnaire in the period 1993-1996. Practical support of GPs in organizing influenza vaccination was offered as a part of the project 'Preventie: maatwerk' (Prevention made to measure). RESULT: Automated selection of risk patients showed a distinct increase over the years. This increase was greatest in 1996, especially in rural practices. Inviting by personal letter, as recommended in the NHG standard increased to 48% in 1996. Not all GPs organized special vaccination office hours. An increasing number offered vaccination at other times as well. In urban municipalities, vaccine was available in the practice less often. Half the GPs reminded risk patients of the vaccination if they failed to appear. The recorded number of vaccinated patients in Groningen was 9.5% of the population in 1994 (nation-wide: 10.8%), 10.8% in 1995 (nation-wide: 11.5%) and 15.4% in 1996 (nation-wide: 15.2%). CONCLUSION: The attention for programmed prevention in general practice went together with an increase of activities regarding influenza vaccination. Regional monitoring of the influenza vaccination provides data with which the prevention programme can be improved.