Mass drug administration of Artemisinin and Ivermectin toward malaria elimination in tropical Africa

Objectives

This research project aims to verify the impact on malaria transmission by a group medication intervention test of ivermectin and artemisinin combination therapy on islands in Lake Victoria, Kenya, and to aim to demonstrate the concept of malaria control by ivermectin as a new vector mosquito countermeasure.

In the first fiscal year, the project team conducted a preliminary field research study for the implementation of intervention tests and created protocols for intervention tests. In addition to the small islands in Lake Victoria (Ngode Island and Kibuoghi Island), they conducted a cross-sectional malaria infection survey that has been ongoing since 2012 in Mfangano Island, which has a population of about 25,000, and in the ingoing area of Ungoi. This revealed that indoor residual spraying (IRS) conducted by Homa Bay County in February 2018 had a certain effect in the inland area. Since the second round of the IRS was planned in February and March 2019, they decided to conduct the intervention trials mainly on Mfungano Island where these programs are not planned.

In addition, as a collaborative researcher, the research team had a discussion with Carlos Chaccour (ISGlobal), a world-leader, about the application of ivermectin as an antimalarial drug, and needed the basic experiment necessary for the field test of ivermectin and the need for ivermectin. As a control, they confirmed the significance of verifying an intervention test of a ceiling mosquito net, a new vector mosquito control method. A ceiling-mounted mosquito net using an insecticide-coated mosquito net is expected to not only prevent mosquitoes from entering the house, but also kill mosquitoes that have sucked blood. Currently, an intervention test protocol using this ceiling mosquito net is being prepared.