Intermittent Antimalaria Treatment With SP in African Children

Intermittent Treatment With Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine for Malaria Control in Children: A Randomised, Double Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

- intermittent preventive treatment with SP in children to evaluate efficacy and safety of this drug combination in children in northern Ghana

• Sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine have long been used for malaria prevention and treatment. In this study, following suggestions of WHO, these drugs are used for intermittent treatment.
• It will be tested if this approach reduces the number of malaria attacks and ameliorates the severity of the disease
• It will also be determined if anemia due to malaria, which is prevalent in northern Ghana, may be reduced
• Moreover, the interaction between red cell polymorphisms such as HbS, HbC, alpha-thalassemia and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and SP will be examined

Inclusion Criteria:

• informed consent by parents or guardian
• no concomitant serious disease
• age >2 months

Exclusion Criteria:

• serious allergy or hypersensitivity to sulfonamides or pyrimethamine
• no severe hepatic or renal dysfunction
• serious breach of study protocol