Azithromycin Added to Seasonal Malaria Chemoprophylaxis Did Not Reduce Deaths

Addition of azithromycin to malaria chemoprophylaxis for children in two African countries resulted in lower disease burden but no decrease in deaths.

Recent studies in Africa showed decreased all-cause mortality in children after mass administration of azithromycin (e.g., NEJM JW Infect Dis Jul 2018 and N Engl J Med 2018; 378:1583). Could similar benefit be achieved by adding azithromycin to seasonal malaria chemoprophylaxis given monthly during malaria-transmission season?

In a double-blind trial, investigators in Burkina Faso and Mali randomly assigned almost 20,000 children aged 3 to 59 months to azithromycin or placebo (identical appearance) along with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine given for malaria chemoprophylaxis. Drugs were given daily for 3 days each month during August through November for three transmission seasons. Similarly large proportions of each group used in…

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Azithromycin Added to Seasonal Malaria Chemoprophylaxis Did Not Reduce Deaths

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Reviewing Author