Effect of Adding Azithromycin to Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention
New England Journal of Medicine·
- DOI
- 10.1056/nejmoa1811400
- PMID
- 30699301
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W2913974122
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Massachusetts Medical Society
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The trial addresses whether an added drug strategy could improve child outcomes during seasonal malaria chemoprevention in two African countries. The primary endpoint was serious illness or death, making the question relevant to child health and malaria-control programs.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study asked whether adding azithromycin to monthly sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine seasonal malaria chemoprevention would reduce mortality or morbidity in young children in Burkina Faso and Mali.
Study design
This was a randomized household-level trial comparing azithromycin with placebo, given alongside standard seasonal malaria chemoprevention over three transmission seasons. Outcomes were assessed using active and passive surveillance.
Population and setting
The population was children aged 3 to 59 months in Burkina Faso and Mali during the annual malaria-transmission season. Children aged out at 5 years and new children were enrolled each year.
Main findings
The addition of azithromycin did not reduce the combined endpoint of death or hospital admission compared with placebo. The abstract also reports fewer gastrointestinal infections, upper respiratory tract infections, and nonmalarial febrile illnesses with azithromycin, while malaria parasitemia and adverse events were similar between groups.
Public-health relevance
The trial addresses whether an added drug strategy could improve child outcomes during seasonal malaria chemoprevention in two African countries. The primary endpoint was serious illness or death, making the question relevant to child health and malaria-control programs.
Important limitations
No explicit limitations are stated in the supplied abstract. This summary is limited to the single provided abstract and metadata, so the original paper would be needed for decision-grade interpretation.
GIDS interpretation
The article is discoverable as a peer-reviewed trial on pediatric malaria chemoprevention, with metadata linking it to malaria, trachoma, surveillance, transmission dynamics, and treatment. This is contextual classification only and does not indicate a live surveillance signal.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 12 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.