A Trial of Intermittent Treatment in the Prevention of Malaria in Senegalese Children
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2003-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
In countries of the Sahel and sub-Sahel, malaria transmission is highly seasonal with nearly
all infections occurring during a few months of the year. However, mortality and morbidity
from malaria may be high during this period, especially in young children who are the group
most at risk.
Intermittent preventative treatment (IPT) is a new approach to the prevention of malaria in
this situation. IPT involves the administration of an anti-malarial to children at risk for
malaria at fixed times, even if they are not infected. To investigate how effective this
approach might be in Senegal, a trial has been undertaken in which 1136 children aged 6 weeks
to 59 months were given a single dose of sulfadoxine pyrimethamine and artesunate on three
occasions during a three-month rainy season and the incidence of clinical malaria in these
children was compared with that in a group of children who received placebo. Additional
observations were made on the incidence of side effects in children in the two groups and on
the impact of IPT in children (IPTc) on markers of drug resistance in children whose blood
films were positive for Plasmodium falciparum.
Phase:
Phase 2/Phase 3
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Gates Malaria Partnership London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Collaborators:
Cheikh Anta Diop University, Senegal Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement, Senegal Ministry of Health, Senegal