Articles - Trial Design

Comparing approaches for chemoprevention for school-based malaria control in Malawi: an open label, randomized, controlled clinical trial

A recent study from Malawi offers promising insights into protecting school-age children from malaria. Researchers compared two approaches: treating all students (IPT) versus screening and treating only infected students (IST). While both methods successfully reduced malaria infections, only treating all students (IPT) lowered clinical malaria cases and anaemia. Interestingly, students receiving either treatment showed improved literacy scores. This research could be useful in malaria control in schools across Africa, potentially boosting both health and education outcomes. The study also successfully used tablet-based tests to measure cognitive skills, paving the way for future large-scale assessments in similar settings. Read the full article to learn how this approach could transform the fight against malaria in school-age children