Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance his Department provides to personnel prescribed Mefloquine.

Anti-malaria drugs, including mefloquine, are only prescribed after a face-to-face individual risk assessment and mefloquine is only prescribed by a doctor and after other alternatives have been identified as unsuitable.

Personnel supplied with anti-malarial drugs, including mefloquine, are issued copies of all manufacturer-provided patient documentation relevant to that drug and are informed of all special warnings or precautions to anti-malarial drugs.

All personnel receive a pre-deployment brief in accordance with Joint Service Publication (JSP) 950 leaflet 3-2-2 'Operational Deployment Health Briefings'. A key area covered by the brief is a description of the anti-malaria drugs including information about dosing and side effects at an appropriate level for the audience, tailored to the specific operation or exercise.

There is additional guidance to individuals outlined in Joint Service Publication 950 Leaflet 3-3-1: Preventing Malaria in Military Populations.