Katherine E. Halliday|George Okello|Elizabeth L. Turner|Kiambo Njagi|Carlos Mcharo|Juddy Kengo|Elizabeth Allen|Margaret Dubeck|Matthew Jukes|Simon Brooker
Impact of Intermittent Screening and Treatment for Malaria among School Children in Kenya: A Cluster Randomised Trial
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine|Kenya Medical Research Institute|Duke University|Ministry of Health|London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine|College of Charleston|Harvard University|London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine|Kenya Medical Research Institute
improving health schoolaged children yield substantial benefits cognitive development educational achievement however limited experimental evidence benefits alternative schoolbased malaria interventions impacts interventions vary according intensity malaria transmission investigated effect intermittent screening treatment ist malaria health education school children area low moderate malaria transmissiona cluster randomised trial implemented 5233 children 101 government primary schools south coast kenya 20102012 intervention delivered children randomly selected classes 1 5 followed 24 months school term children screened public health workers using malaria rapid diagnostic tests rdts children without malaria symptoms found rdtpositive treated six dose regimen artemetherlumefantrine al given nature intervention trial blinded primary outcomes anaemia sustained attention secondary outcomes malaria parasitaemia educational achievement data analysed intentiontotreat basis intervention period average 883 children intervention schools screened round 175 rdtpositive 803 children control 802 intervention group followedup 24 months impact malaria ist intervention observed prevalence anaemia either 12 24 months adjusted risk ratio adjrr 103 95 ci 093113 p 0621 adjrr 100 95 ci 090111 p 0953 respectively prevalence p falciparum infection scores classroom attention effect ist observed educational achievement older class apparent negative effect seen spelling scores younger class 9 24 months arithmetic scores 24 monthsin setting kenya ist implemented study effective improving health education school children possible reasons absence impact marked geographical heterogeneity transmission rapid rate reinfection following al treatment variable reliability rdts relative contribution malaria aetiology anaemia settingwwwclinicaltrialsgov nct00878007