Assessment of the Role of Intermittent Preventive Treatment for Malaria in Infants: Letter Report

Excerpt

Intermittent Preventive Treatment for Malaria in Infants (IPTi) is a new strategy which aims to combine the short-term protection of chemoprophylaxis with the long-term protection of naturally acquired immunity. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation requested that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) conduct an independent assessment (with emphasis on the work done by the IPTi consortium) of the utility, safety, and operational aspects of IPTi to provide a comprehensive, and transparent analysis. In order to fully examine the issue of IPTi, the IOM convened a committee to evaluate the evidence concerning Intermittent Preventive Treatment for Malaria in Infants using sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTi-SP).The resulting book contains the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the IOM committee. Overall, the Committee finds that the evidence presented supports the case for continued investment in IPTi-SP as a promising public health strategy to diminish the morbidity from malaria infections among infants at high risk.