Impact of early malaria prevention on malaria risk at school entry
Official title: Impact of early childhood malaria prevention on malaria risk at school entry (ERASE)
Funded at University of Maryland Baltimore · NIH-11538379 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how early childhood malaria prevention strategies affect malaria risk by the time children start school in sub-Saharan Africa.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | July 10, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $337,875 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AI181383-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11538379 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children aged 5 to 7 years in sub-Saharan Africa who have been exposed to malaria prevention strategies (SMC and/or RTS,S) or who have not yet received them in regions where these interventions are implemented.
✕Less likely to help
Children outside the study regions, or those not receiving malaria prevention interventions as part of routine care, may not experience direct benefits.
What this research studies
The study follows children in sub-Saharan Africa to see how sending kids to school with malaria prevention measures at a young age influences their malaria risk when they begin school. It builds on WHO-recommended approaches like seasonal malaria chemoprevention and RTS,S vaccination to understand real-world effects in a broad population. Researchers will compare outcomes in children who received SMC, RTS,S, both, or neither, within a pilot setting in Ghana and surrounding areas. The aim is to inform optimal early-life malaria prevention strategies to reduce ongoing malaria burden as immunity develops. Results could guide future policy and program decisions for protecting school-age children from malaria.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could identify the most effective combination or timing of early-life malaria prevention to lower malaria infection and disease burden as children enter school.
How similar studies have gone: Prior large pilots showed promise for RTS,S and SMC separately; this study combines them to assess real-world impact on school-entry malaria risk.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maryland Baltimore
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Harrison, Shannon Takala — University of Maryland Baltimore
- Study coordinator: Harrison, Shannon Takala
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.