London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Perennial malaria chemoprevention (PMC) is newly formulated strategy endorsed in June 2022 by the World Health Organization and builds off the previously recommended but poorly implemented strategy of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in infants – IPTi. IPTi – the provision of single dose Sulphadoxine Pyrimethamine (SP) delivered through the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) at times of childhood immunisation at approximately 3, 4 and 9 months of age was shown to provide infants with protection against malaria, anaemia and all cause hospital admissions. However since the recommendation in 2010 only one country adopted the strategy.  

PMC changes in recommendation increase the age to which chemoprevention can be applied to any age where a country believes chemoprevention is necessary, to increase the number of contacts where doses of chemoprevention can be given to suit their chosen strategy, to use any chemoprevention drug that suits their local situation, although a preference is given to the use of SP, and to deliver the chemoprevention doses through any suitable delivery channel.  

The Unitaid funded Plus Project project, a collaboration between Population Services International, LSHTM, the 4 countries implementing self-designed PMC strategies in  Benin, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and Mozambique and their supporting research organizations (CREC, FINISTECH, INSP, and CISM) to evaluate each countries PMC strategies, and support development of policy in 3 additional countries (DRC, Ghana and Zambia).  The project that started in 2021 has so far supported the co-design of PMC strategies in Benin, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and Mozambique.  

​In this webinar, the team will provide an overview of the newly defined chemoprevention strategy and then highlight the processes undertaken to overcome the challenges of countries designing their own PMC strategies including addressing how to support the co-design process, how to deliver and measure the impacts of providing chemoprevention to age groups that are not involved in the immunisation programmes, and how the project is dealing with drug resistance to SP.

Speakers

David Schellenberg, LSHTM

David Schellenberg trained as a medical doctor before living and working in Tanzania for 10 years. He has focused almost exclusively on improving malaria control through vaccination and chemoprevention, diagnosis and treatment. He directed the ACT Consortium (2009-2016), co-directed the Malaria Capacity Development Consortium (2008-2016) and directed the LINK programme (2014-2016), working to improve the use of data to inform decision making for malaria control.   

David was appointed Professor of Malaria and International Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in 2005 and worked as Science Adviser at the WHO Global Malaria Programme 2016-2022. While at WHO David was responsible for updating the malaria chemoprevention guidelines and development of documents outlining the Preferred Product Characteristics for vaccines, chemoprevention drugs and monoclonal antibodies.  

Branwen Owen 

Branwen Owen is an infectious disease epidemiologist working at the Analytics and Intervention Modelling group at Swiss TPH. Her recent focus has been on using dynamical modelling of malaria transmission to help inform decision-making. This work includes exploring the likely impact of deploying seasonal malaria chemoprevention in Uganda and Mozambique as part of the Malaria Consortium’s SMC in new geographies initiative, and identifying the factors which most shape impact of perennial malaria chemoprevention as part of the Plus project. 

Lily Claire Ekobika 

Lilly Claire is the Senior Coordinator in charge of special projects in PSI-ACMS. She has over seventeen years of experience in programme development and implementation for the prevention of HIV and STIs and the promotion of sexual health among women, military and most at-risk populations.  She has contributed in strengthening the visibility of ACMS among partners and the general public through her expertise in project management, resource mobilization, communication and strategy, public relations, and advocacy. With a master’s in public health and communication, she is a results-driven person with great communication skills, eager to learn and grow, and committed to excellence. As the Country Lead of the Plus Project in Cameroon, she is very excited to lead her team in engaging national stakeholders and target audience at community level in implementing a successful PMC intervention for infants, so as to contribute in reducing malaria incidence in Cameroon. 

Elsa Nhantumbo 

I am a Public Health professional from Mozambique and gained experience working in malaria field since 2006. During this period, I assumed a variety of positions, including Program Manager, M&E Focal Point, M&E Adviser. Currently I am the Country Lead of Plus Project in Mozambique. I am a Biologist with a Master's in Public Health. During my free time, I enjoy being with my family and friends and also enjoy travelling. 

Jayne Webster

I have a varied background including establishing a basic pathology laboratory to support the local hospital services, in a remote area of Nepal; studies to support policy development of insecticide treated nets for an NGO in East Timor; and then joining LSHTM first as an MSc student and then staff. I have an MSc from LSHTM in Public Health in Developing Countries and a PhD in Programme Evaluation. After my MSc I spent two years working as a consultant with the Malaria Consortium during which time I conducted programme/project reviews, evaluations, and designs for a number of bilaterals, UN bodies and NGOs. 

I have worked as a researcher for the past several years based at LSHTM where my work has focussed on the delivery of public health interventions and methods for their evaluation. 

Cally Roper

My research applies evolutionary genetics to practical problems in malaria control. In particular I am interested in the emergence and spread of antimalarial drug resistance. My research involves mapping resistance in Africa to show patterns of mutation dispersal, and to inform policy on drug use for chemoprevention and treatment.