Purpose: To assess dispensing and prescribing practices with regard to
antimalarial drugs for pediatrics in private pharmacies and public
hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methods: This was a
cross-sectional, descriptive study that assessed the knowledge and
practice of 200 drug dispensers in the private community pharmacies in
Dar es Salaam. Two hundred (200) parents of children seeking malaria
treatment were also interviewed at the public hospitals. Results: A
majority of drug dispensers had moderate (63.3 %) to low knowledge
(36.7 %) regarding antimalarial drug use in pediatrics. Parents had
moderate (67 %) to low (33 %) level of understanding of the
instructions given to them by the prescribers regarding administration
of antimalarial drugs to pediatrics at home. Most children were not
weighed, and there were indications of wrong calculations of doses of
antimalarials in pediatrics. Conclusion: Overall, there were irrational
dispensing and prescribing of antimalarial drugs to pediatrics. Since
malaria is a major killer disease in Tanzania, especially in children
under five years of age, there is a need to institute measures to
ensure rational prescribing, dispensing and use of antimalarial drugs
in pediatrics