Malaria

Preventive therapies

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Preventive chemotherapies are key elements of the comprehensive package of malaria prevention and control measures recommended by WHO. WHO-recommended preventive therapies include intermittent preventive treatment of pregnant women (IPTp), intermittent preventive treatment of infants (IPTi), and seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC). The objective of these interventions is to prevent malarial illness by maintaining therapeutic drug levels in the blood throughout the period of greatest malarial risk.

Overview of preventive therapies

WHO recommends a full antimalarial treatment course be given to pregnant women, infants and children to prevent the consequences of malaria infection.

Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp)

WHO recommends the administration of IPTp for pregnant women in areas of moderate to high malaria transmission in Africa.

Intermittent preventive treatment in infants (IPTi)

WHO recommends the administration of IPTi for infants in areas of moderate to high malaria transmission in Africa. The administration of the therapy should correspond to the routine vaccination schedule.

Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC)

WHO recommends the administration of SMC for children under 5 years of age in areas with highly seasonal malaria transmission in the Sahel sub-region in Africa.

Key documents

Cover of Seasonal malaria chemoprevention with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine in children: A field guide

World Malaria Report 2016

WMR 2016

This report contains the latest available data on malaria policies, interventions and trends in all endemic countries.

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