Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) policy his Department follows and (b) advice his Department gives to staff travelling to malarial regions regarding the use of Lariam as an anti-malarial drug; and what records his Department holds on the number of times (i) Lariam and (ii) alternative anti-malarial drugs have been prescribed to staff in his Department in the last three years.

Sir Alan Duncan

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) follows guidance from the UK Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention (ACMP). The FCO provides medical advice to staff travelling to malarial regions on a case-by-case basis, taking into account factors such as the age of the officer concerned, location and duration of stay. This might in some instances result in an officer being advised to take mefloquine (larium), but no officer is forced to do so. Any staff with concerns are encouraged to discuss with the FCO Healthline or their Regional Medical Advisor, as well as with their local clinic of healthcare provider. The FCO does not hold records on the numbers of staff prescribed mefloquine (larium) and alternative anti-malarial drugs.