Mass Drug Administration of Ivermectin and Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine as an Additional Intervention for Malaria Elimination

This is a community-based cluster-randomized trial in which a novel approach to interrupt residual malaria transmission by mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin (IVM) combined with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) will be tested. This cluster-randomized trial will involve 32 villages in the Upper River Region of The Gambia that will be randomized to MDA with IVM and DP or to standard of care in a ratio 1:1. This trial aims at establishing whether MDA with IVM and DP can reduce or interrupt malaria transmission in medium to low transmission settings by reducing vector survival and the human reservoir of infection. MDA with IVM and DP will be implemented in the intervention villages and all human settlements in the buffer zone, with the aim of minimizing spillover effects. Control clusters will receive standard malaria control interventions as implemented by the National Malaria Control Program. The primary outcomes will be the prevalence of malaria infection determined by molecular methods in all age groups at the peak of the second transmission season (November-December 2019) and the vector's parous rate 7-14 days after MDA.