Preventing malaria outbreaks after floods
After the flood: Optimal strategies to prevent malaria epidemics caused by severe flooding
['FUNDING_R01'] · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · NIH-11146448
This project tests whether short-term malaria medicines, with or without spraying larvicide near homes to kill mosquito larvae, can cut malaria cases after severe flooding in rural Ugandan villages.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (CHAPEL HILL, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11146448 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If you live in flood-prone villages in western Uganda, researchers will give short-term malaria medicine to people in some villages after severe floods and will also apply larvicide around homes in some villages. Villages will be randomly assigned to receive medicine alone, medicine plus larvicide, or the usual care, and the team will follow people over the months after flooding to record fevers and lab-confirmed malaria. The study will compare how many malaria cases occur in each group to see which approach limits the post-flood rise in infections. The trial builds on a smaller pilot that suggested large reductions in malaria when medicines were given after floods.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People of all ages who live in the selected flood-affected rural villages in western Uganda, especially young children and other high-risk residents, are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People who do not live in the selected study villages, who are not present during the intervention period, or whose illness is caused by non-falciparum malaria may not receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce malaria infections, fevers, hospital visits, and deaths that happen after severe floods.
How similar studies have performed: A 2020 pilot in western Uganda showed a roughly 53% drop in malaria after post-flood chemoprevention, so this larger trial builds on promising early results.
Where this research is happening
CHAPEL HILL, UNITED STATES
- UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL — CHAPEL HILL, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: BOYCE, ROSS MATHEW — UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- Study coordinator: BOYCE, ROSS MATHEW
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 below.