Intermittent Parasite Clearance (IPC) in Schools: Impact on Malaria, Anaemia and Cognition

Summary

Although the risk of malaria is greatest in early childhood, significant numbers of schoolchildren remain at risk from malaria infection, clinical illness and death. By the time they reach school, many children have already acquired some clinical immunity and the ability to limit parasite growth, and thus most infections are asymptomatic and will go undetected and untreated. Asymptomatic parasitaemia contributes to anaemia, reducing concentration and learning in the classroom, and interventions aiming to reduce asymptomatic parasite carriage may bring education, as well as health, benefits.

Intermittent parasite clearance (IPC) delivered through schools is a simple intervention, which can be readily integrated into broader school health programmes, and may usefully supplement the community-distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) in countries with a policy of universal coverage of nets.

This study seeks to establish whether intermittent parasite clearance undertaken once a year at the end of the malaria transmission season can reduce malaria parasite carriage and anaemia amongst school-going children already using insecticide-treated nets, and its consequent impact on school attendance and performance, in order to assess its suitability for inclusion as a standard intervention in school health programmes in areas of seasonal malaria transmission.

Conditions

• Malaria
• Anaemia

Interventions

DRUG

Intermittent parasite clearance

Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (500/25mg) according to age, given on day 1; Amodiaquine (200mg) according to age, given daily for 3 days

OTHER

Placebo

Placebo tablets, similar in appearance and taste to active treatment, given daily over 3 days

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Division Controle Medicale Scolaire, Ministry of Education, Senegal

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Ministry of Health, Senegal

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Institut National d'Etude et d'Action pour le Developpement de l'Education, Senegal

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Cheikh Anta Diop University, Senegal

  collaborator OTHER

• Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement, Senegal

  collaborator OTHER

• Harvard University

  collaborator OTHER

• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Sian E Clarke, PhD · London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

7 Years

Max Age

14 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2011-11-30

Primary Completion

2012-02-29

Completion

2012-02-29

Countries

• Senegal

Study Locations