Assessing coverage and quality of seasonal malaria chemoprevention in previously untreated areas of Mozambique

Authors: Albertino Zunza, Ivan Alejandro Pulido Tarquino,Pedro Aide, Kevin Baker, Sonia Maria Enosse, Mercia Sitoe, Maria Rodrigues, Chuks Nnaji

Routinely monitoring SMC coverage and quality can identify areas for improvement, particularly in previously untreated areas.

From 2020 to 2021, Malaria Consortium conducted a phased implementation study to assess the effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) in a previously untreated region of Mozambique. SMC involves the intermittent administration of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and amodiaquine (AQ) to children 3–59 months during seasons with high malaria transmission. Over four monthly cycles between November 2020 and February 2021, approximately 81,000 children received SMC in the districts of Malema and Mecubúri in Nampula province. Routine monitoring, including an end-of-cycle household survey in January 2021, identified areas to improve coverage and quality before the next cycle, aiding SMC optimisation in new intervention contexts. This poster was presented at the 72nd annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.