Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan;30(1):22-30.
doi: 10.1111/tmi.14062. Epub 2024 Nov 27.

Evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of integrating mass drug administration for helminth control with seasonal malaria chemoprevention in Ghanaian children: Protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

Muhammed O Afolabi  1 , Dennis Adu-Gyasi  2   3 , Lucy Paintain  1 , Theresa Tawiah  2 , Mohammed Sanni Ali  1 , Brian Greenwood  1 , Kwaku Poku Asante  2
Affiliations

Evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of integrating mass drug administration for helminth control with seasonal malaria chemoprevention in Ghanaian children: Protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

Muhammed O Afolabi et al. Trop Med Int Health. 2025 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of integrating seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) with mass drug administration for helminth control among school-aged children living in communities where the burden of malaria and helminths is high in Ghana, West Africa.

Methods: This cluster randomised controlled trial will enrol 1200 children aged 5-10 years. Eligible children randomised to intervention clusters will receive SMC drugs (sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine) and anthelminthic drugs for soil-transmitted helminths-(albendazole), and for schistosomiasis (praziquantel), while children randomised to control clusters will receive SMC drugs alone. Pre- and post-intervention blood, urine and stool samples will be collected from children in both clusters. The effectiveness of the concomitant delivery will be determined by checking whether the combination of SMC and anthelminthic drugs prevents anaemia in the children randomised to the intervention clusters compared to the children in the control clusters. Cost analysis and cost-effectiveness of this integrated delivery approach will be determined by estimating the incremental costs and effects of co-administration of SMC drugs with mass drug administration of anthelminthic drugs compared to SMC alone, including cost savings due to cases of moderate and severe anaemia averted.

Expected findings: The findings of this study will provide evidence to inform public health recommendations for an integrated control of malaria and helminths among children living in the poorest countries of the world.

Keywords: African children; geohelminths; integration; malaria; schistosomiasis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Map showing the study area in central Ghana. Source: Ghana Statistical Service, GIS. GIS, geometric information system.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Schematic design of the study. DALY, disability‐adjusted life‐years; MDA, mass drug administration; SMC, seasonal malaria chemoprevention.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hotez PJ, Molyneux DH. Tropical anemia: one of Africa's great killers and a rationale for linking malaria and neglected tropical disease control to achieve a common goal. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2008;2(7):e270. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ngasala B, Matata F, Mwaiswelo R, Mmbando BP. Anemia among schoolchildren with malaria and soil‐transmitted helminth coinfections after repeated rounds of mass drug administration in Muheza District, Tanzania. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2019;101(5):1148–1155. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ndiaye J, Cissé B, Ba EH, Gomis JF, Ndour CT, Molez JF, et al. Safety of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) with sulfadoxine‐pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine when delivered to children under 10 years of age by district health services in Senegal: results from a stepped‐wedge cluster randomized trial. PLoS Med. 2016;11(13):e1002175. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization . Ending the neglect to attain the sustainable development goals: a road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021–2030. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020.
    1. World Health Organization . Updated WHO recommendations for malaria chemoprevention among children and pregnant women [cited 2022 Nov16]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news/item/03‐06‐2022‐Updated‐WHO‐recommendations‐for...

Publication types

MeSH terms