Effectiveness of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention in children under 10 years of age in Senegal: a stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial

This study was done to determine the effectiveness of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention in Senegalese children up to 10 years of age using a stepped-wedge design. Outcomes included mortality, malaria cases treated as outpatients, severe malaria, and the prevalence of parasitaemia and anaemia, and adverse drug reactions. 54 health posts were randomized. 9 started implementation of SMC in 2008, 18 in 2009, and a further 18 in 2010, with 9 remaining as controls. In the first year of implementation SMC was delivered to children aged 3-59 months, the age range was then extended for the latter two years of the study to include children up to 10 years of age.