NCT02653898

Malaria Elimination Pilot Study in Military Forces in Cambodia

Defining Effective, Appropriate, Implementable Strategies for Malaria Elimination in Military Forces in Cambodia as a Model for Mobile Populations

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: Phase 4
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 1,050 (actual)
• Sponsor: Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Thailand · Other Government
• Sex: All
• Age: 2 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Antimalarial drug resistance has reached critical levels on the Thai-Cambodian border. Many have begun advocating for concerted malaria elimination efforts in Cambodia. However, there is currently no consensus on how malaria elimination is to be achieved with the tools available. In this study, the investigators will conduct operational research with the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and National Malaria Center (CNM) to quantify the relative effectiveness of the two major interventional approaches - monthly malaria prophylaxis (MMP) or focused screening and treatment (FSAT) - in a head to-head comparison. In addition, the investigators will quantify the relative contribution of a recently advocated vector intervention for military personnel - the insecticide treated uniform (ITU) - in addition to other vector control measures currently employed by the RCAF. The investigators will employ the same permethrin insecticide self-application kits currently used by the US military. The investigators will estimate the cost effectiveness of each approach and attempt to define the best way forward for malaria elimination efforts in a critically important malaria reservoir in military population (and their dependents) who reside on the Thai-Cambodian border. The aim of the study is not only to conduct research to better define the best way forward in malaria elimination efforts in the high risk military populations, but to also build capacity within the RCAF to support and lead future elimination efforts in the most difficult-to-reach mobile populations.

Detailed description

This is a cluster-randomized, open label interventional study to determine the feasibility of achieving significant reduction in malaria cases in military encampments on the Thai-Cambodian border. The study will compare the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of monthly malaria prophylaxis (MMP) to monthly focused screening and treatment (FSAT). This study will thus investigate the effectiveness of two potential interventions for malaria elimination. Subjects in the monthly malaria prophylaxis (MMP) arm will receive a standard 3-day treatment course of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine on months 1, 2 and 3 and weekly low-dose primaquine (22.5mg for 12 weeks). Volunteers in the focused screening and treatment (FSAT) arm will be screened monthly and then treated for malaria following national treatment guidelines. For G6PD-deficient volunteers in the FSAT arm, primaquine will be administered weekly (45mg for 8 weeks) as radical curative and/or presumptive anti-relapse therapy. For G6PD normal volunteers with vivax infection, primaquine will be administered daily (15mg for 14 days). All FSAT volunteers with confirmed P. falciparum infection will receive a single, low dose (15mg) Primaquine as a P. falciparum transmission-blocking agent. The incremental benefit of an insecticide treated uniform (ITU) will also be assessed as a single-blind sham-controlled intervention in addition to personal protective measures currently employed by the RCAF. Volunteers will be followed monthly for a total of 6 months, to determine the proportion remaining malaria-free on day 180 following enrollment.

Conditions

• Malaria
• Parasitic Diseases

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	DHA-PIP	Administered monthly (weight-based) on days 1-3, during months 1, 2, and 3 in the MMP arm and also as a first line agent for P.v malaria recurrence in both MMP and FSAT treatment arms
DRUG	Primaquine	22.5 mg weekly for 12 weeks in the MMP arm; low dose primaquine (15mg) for transmission blocking of P. falciparum or 14 days of primaquine (15mg) in G6PD normal volunteers or 8 weeks of low dose primaquine (45mg) in G6PD-deficient volunteers for radical cure of P. vivax
DRUG	Artesunate + Mefloquine	Weight based; first line agent for P.f malaria infection diagnosed at monthly follow ups, administered on days 1-3 in subjects with malaria recurrence
DRUG	Permethrin (Insecticide treated uniform)	40% Permethrin IDA kit, applied once to the uniforms for volunteers assigned to ITU arm

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-01-01
• Primary completion: 2016-08-01
• Completion: 2021-12-01
• First posted: 2016-01-13
• Last updated: 2021-03-02

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Cambodia