Dear Editor:

Re: "Auditor to Probe Malaria Drug"

Congratulations to Mike Blanchfield for his story on the Auditor General's decision to probe the handling of the antimalarial drug mefloquine by the Health Protection Branch and Department of National Defence. In addition to being Canada's paper of record on mefloquine issues, the Citizen is internationally recognized for its work, and is routinely referenced on mefloquine web sites and by internet search engines. Because of this I wish to make a comment regarding the use of the phrase "critics say".

Canadian Forces post deployment reports to the Surgeon General on the Somalia mission describe "intolerable side-effects from mefloquine including...insomnia, headaches, depressed mood, dizziness, diarrhoea and nausea" in addition to nightmares, feelings of unease and paranoia.

The "Guidelines" issued by the British public health authority state: "Adverse reactions to mefloquine...have been recognized for many years. Recent concern has focused mainly on neuropsychiatric reactions...insomnia, vivid and unpleasant dreams, agitation, anxiety, irritability, depression, feelings of unreality, panic attacks, hallucinations, and frankly psychotic episodes." Undoubtedly these government guidelines reflect customary British understatement and are neither alarmist nor the work of critics.

The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (1997 at 1608) states that "common side-effects of mefloquine include vivid dreams, dramatic colour perception, paresthesias of the extremities, hallucinations, psychotic manifestations, confusion, and mild to severe anxiety."

Surely given the weight of the foregoing expert opinions it should be possible to dispense with the disclaimer "critics claim."

Yours sincerely,