Barriers to the quality delivery of seasonal malaria chemoprevention in Chad and Burkina Faso: a qualitative exploration of caregivers and community distributors' perspectives.

Background: Recommended since 2012 by the World Health Organization (WHO), seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is a community-based intervention to prevent malaria in children in African regions where malaria transmission follows a seasonal pattern. Following the publication of consolidated WHO guidelines for malaria, SMC is expected to reach more children in new geographies in future years. Though SMC has been shown to reduce malaria-related morbidity and mortality, there is potential for quality improvement of the intervention implementation.

Co-implementing vitamin A supplementation with seasonal malaria chemoprevention in Sokoto State, Nigeria: a feasibility and acceptability study.

Background: Bi-annual high dose vitamin A supplements administered to children aged 6-59 months can significantly reduce child mortality, but vitamin A supplementation (VAS) coverage is low in Nigeria. The World Health Organization recommends that VAS be integrated into other public health programmes which are aimed at improving child survival. Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) provides a ready platform for VAS integration to improve health outcomes.

A practical approach for geographic prioritization and targeting of insecticide-treated net distribution campaigns during public health emergencies and in resource-limited settings.

Background: The use of data in targeting malaria control efforts is essential for optimal use of resources. This work provides a practical mechanism for prioritizing geographic areas for insecticide-treated net (ITN) distribution campaigns in settings with limited resources.

Methods: A GIS-based weighted approach was adopted to categorize and rank administrative units based on data that can be applied in various country contexts where Plasmodium falciparum transmission is reported.

Current malaria infection, previous malaria exposure, and clinical profiles and outcomes of COVID-19 in a setting of high malaria transmission: an exploratory cohort study in Uganda.

Background: The potential effects of SARS-CoV-2 and co-infection on host susceptibility and pathogenesis remain unknown. We aimed to establish the prevalence of malaria and describe the clinical characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and co-infection in a high-burden malaria setting.

Methods: This was an exploratory prospective, cohort study of patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to hospital in Uganda.

Assessment of the Feasibility, Acceptability, and Impact of Implementing Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention in Nampula Province, Mozambique: Protocol for a Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Study.

Background: Malaria is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children aged under 5 years in Mozambique. The World Health Organization recommends seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC), the administration of four monthly courses of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and amodiaquine (AQ), to children aged 3-59 months during rainy season. However, as resistance to SP is widespread in East and Southern Africa, SMC has so far only been implemented across the Sahel in West Africa.

Performance of five pulse oximeters to detect hypoxaemia as an indicator of severe illness in children under five by frontline health workers in low resource settings - A prospective, multicentre, single-blinded, trial in Cambodia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda.

Background: Low blood oxygen saturation (SpO), or hypoxaemia, is an indicator of severe illness in children. Pulse oximetry is a globally accepted, non-invasive method to identify hypoxaemia, but rarely available outside higher-level facilities in resource-constrained countries. This study aims to evaluate the performance of different types of pulse oximeters amongst frontline health workers in Cambodia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda.

COVID-19 knowledge, beliefs, prevention behaviours and misinformation in the context of an adapted seasonal malaria chemoprevention campaign in six northern Nigerian States.

Background: Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) using sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and amodiaquine is an efficacious intervention for protection of children against Plasmodium falciparum malaria during the rainy season. In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Malaria Consortium adapted its SMC delivery model to ensure safety of distributors, data collectors and beneficiaries. We conducted a SMC monitoring survey in July 2020 in the states of Bauchi, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Yobe, with questions on COVID-19 prevention behaviours and symptoms, and belief in misinformation.

Performance of Four Respiratory Rate Counters to Support Community Health Workers to Detect the Symptoms of Pneumonia in Children in Low Resource Settings: A Prospective, Multicentre, Hospital-Based, Single-Blinded, Comparative Trial.

Background: Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in children under-five globally. The current diagnostic criteria for pneumonia are based on increased respiratory rate (RR) or chest in-drawing in children with cough and/or difficulty breathing. Accurately counting RR is difficult for community health workers (CHWs).

Performance, Acceptability, and Usability of Respiratory Rate Timers and Pulse Oximeters When Used by Frontline Health Workers to Detect Symptoms of Pneumonia in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia: Protocol for a Two-Phase, Multisite, Mixed-Methods Trial.

Background: Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in children aged under 5 years in both sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The current diagnostic criterion for pneumonia is based on the increased respiratory rate (RR) in children with cough or difficulty breathing. Low oxygen saturation, measured using pulse oximeters, is indicative of severe pneumonia.

The use of formative research to inform the design of a seasonal malaria chemoprevention intervention in northern Nigeria.

Background: Experience of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is growing in the Sahel sub-region of Africa, though there remains insufficient evidence to recommend a standard deployment strategy. In 2012, a project was initiated in Katsina state, northern Nigeria, to design an appropriate and effective community-based delivery approach for SMC, in consultation with local stakeholders. Formative research (FR) was conducted locally to explore the potential feasibility and acceptability of SMC and to highlight information gaps and practical considerations to inform the intervention design.