Post-discharge malaria prevention for children in Benin
Official title: Delivery Strategies for Malaria Chemoprevention in the Post-discharge Management of Children Hospitalised With Severe Anaemia or Severe Malaria: a Cluster Randomised Controlled Implementation Trial in Benin
Run by Institut de Recherche Clinique du Benin · NCT06601712 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will test different ways of giving three monthly, three-day antimalarial courses to children recovering from severe malaria or severe anaemia to see if caregivers give the medicines more reliably.
Quick facts
| Phase | Phase 4 |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Ages | Any age to 9 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 648 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Institut de Recherche Clinique du Benin Academic / other |
| Locations | 2 sites (Abomey and 1 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | July 2, 2025 |
| Main results expected | November 30, 2026 |
| Study ends | December 31, 2026 |
| Registry record updated | August 12, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06601712 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal participants are children under 10 years old being discharged after hospitalization for severe malaria or severe anaemia whose caregivers agree to follow-up at the participating hospitals.
✕Probably not a fit
Children with recognised non-malarial causes of severe anaemia (such as trauma or haematological malignancy), those with sickle cell disease, or infants weighing under 5 kg are excluded and unlikely to benefit from PDMC in this trial.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This is an implementation trial co-designed with national stakeholders in Benin comparing two adherence support strategies against standard care for post-discharge malaria chemoprevention (PDMC). Children under 10 who are discharged after hospitalization for severe malaria or severe anaemia will receive a monthly three-day antimalarial regimen for three months and be randomized to adherence support strategy A, strategy B, or control. The study will measure adherence to the dosing regimen, acceptability, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness, with secondary monitoring of readmissions and deaths in the months after discharge. Results are intended to guide national decisions on effective delivery and scale-up of PDMC in high-transmission settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approaches could increase caregiver adherence to PDMC, reduce post-discharge malaria readmissions and deaths, and support wider national scale-up.
How similar studies have gone: Previous trials in East Africa showed PDMC reduces readmissions and deaths and WHO recommends PDMC, but the best delivery and adherence strategies remain untested in this context.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Aged below 10 years of both sexes * Hospitalised with severe anaemia or severe malaria: Initially hospitalised with haemoglobin below 5.0 g/dl or PCV below 15%, or requirement for blood transfusion for other clinical reasons on or during admission to the hospital, or severe malaria, defined as a requirement for parenteral artesunate in the opinion of the treating clinician and the presence of microscopy or RDT confirmed Plasmodium infection Exclusion Criteria: * Recognised specific other causes of severe anaemia (i.e., trauma, haematological malignancy, known bleeding disorders, such as haemophilia) * Sickle cell anaemia/sickle cell disease * Body weight below 5 kg * HIV infection and cotrimoxazole prophylaxis are not exclusion criteria
Where it's running
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Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de la Mere et de l'Enfant Lagune (CHU-MEL)
Cotonou, Benin Recruiting -
Goho Departmental Hospital Centre
Abomey, Benin Not yet recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Jenny Hill, MSc, PhD — Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
- Study coordinator: Manfred Accrombessi, MD, PhD
- Email: accrombessimanfred@gmail.com
- Phone: 22966033138
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
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Whole blood transfusion for children with severe malaria
This study is testing if giving whole blood transfusions can help children aged 6 months to 15 years with severe malaria live longer compared to standard care without transfusions.
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.