Impact of proactive malaria community case management (proCCM) on parasite prevalence and incidence from 2021 to 2023: a randomised controlled trial in Chadiza District, Eastern Province, Zambia

Ensuring prompt and effective case management of malaria remains an ongoing challenge in Zambia, where care is not sought for roughly 40% of febrile children under 5 years of age. To expand access, the Ministry of Health has scaled up routine malaria community case management (mCCM) for all ages ove...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Adam Bennett, Busiku Hamainza, Marie-Reine I Rutagwera, Ellen L Ferriss, Bupe M Kabamba, Travis Porter, Chabu C Kangale, Sarah Gallalee, Melody Simataa, John M Miller, Caroline Phiri-Chibawe, Maximillian Musunse, Patrick Nyendwa, Viennah Kapenda, Paul Psychas, Julie R Gutman, Moonga Hawela, Ignatius Banda, Sampa Chitambala-Otiono, Julie I Thwing
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-05-01
Series:BMJ Global Health
Online Access:https://gh.bmj.com/content/10/5/e017697.full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849325876285538304
author Adam Bennett
Busiku Hamainza
Marie-Reine I Rutagwera
Ellen L Ferriss
Bupe M Kabamba
Travis Porter
Chabu C Kangale
Sarah Gallalee
Melody Simataa
John M Miller
Caroline Phiri-Chibawe
Maximillian Musunse
Patrick Nyendwa
Viennah Kapenda
Paul Psychas
Julie R Gutman
Moonga Hawela
Ignatius Banda
Sampa Chitambala-Otiono
Julie I Thwing
author_facet Adam Bennett
Busiku Hamainza
Marie-Reine I Rutagwera
Ellen L Ferriss
Bupe M Kabamba
Travis Porter
Chabu C Kangale
Sarah Gallalee
Melody Simataa
John M Miller
Caroline Phiri-Chibawe
Maximillian Musunse
Patrick Nyendwa
Viennah Kapenda
Paul Psychas
Julie R Gutman
Moonga Hawela
Ignatius Banda
Sampa Chitambala-Otiono
Julie I Thwing
author_sort Adam Bennett
collection DOAJ
description Ensuring prompt and effective case management of malaria remains an ongoing challenge in Zambia, where care is not sought for roughly 40% of febrile children under 5 years of age. To expand access, the Ministry of Health has scaled up routine malaria community case management (mCCM) for all ages over the past decade. As of 2018, nearly a quarter of children who received antimalarials obtained them from a community health worker (CHW), but gaps in treatment seeking remain. Proactive community case management (proCCM), under which CHWs regularly visit households to screen, test and treat individuals for malaria, aims to improve timely case management, avert severe disease and potentially reduce transmission. To evaluate the impact of weekly proCCM on malaria parasite prevalence and incidence in the context of strong routine community case management, we conducted a two-arm cluster-randomised controlled trial, comparing proCCM plus routine passive care to routine passive care only in Chadiza District, Eastern Province, Zambia, between April 2021 and May 2023. Baseline and endline surveys were conducted during peak transmission season to ascertain parasite prevalence, while facility, routine mCCM and proCCM incidence data were collected through routine surveillance systems and weekly household visits, respectively. In the control arm, malaria prevalence decreased from 19.7% in 2021 to 16.0% in 2023, and in the intervention arm, from 18.7% to 13.7%. No significant difference between arms in the change in parasite prevalence was estimated (adjusted relative risk=0.97, 95% CI=0.77 to 1.23). However, there was a small, ongoing decline in malaria incidence each month in proCCM clusters compared with control clusters (adjusted incidence rate ratio=0.98, 95% Bayesian credible interval=0.96 to 0.99). Our study suggests proCCM may modestly reduce malaria incidence over time in some settings with high baseline utilisation of routine facility and community case management. Trial registration number: NCT04839900
format Article
id doaj-art-285bdd719be34b3eb536cb6920f74f60
institution Kabale University
issn 2059-7908
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher BMJ Publishing Group
record_format Article
series BMJ Global Health
spelling doaj-art-285bdd719be34b3eb536cb6920f74f602025-08-20T03:48:18ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Global Health2059-79082025-05-0110510.1136/bmjgh-2024-017697Impact of proactive malaria community case management (proCCM) on parasite prevalence and incidence from 2021 to 2023: a randomised controlled trial in Chadiza District, Eastern Province, ZambiaAdam Bennett0Busiku Hamainza1Marie-Reine I Rutagwera2Ellen L Ferriss3Bupe M Kabamba4Travis Porter5Chabu C Kangale6Sarah Gallalee7Melody Simataa8John M Miller9Caroline Phiri-Chibawe10Maximillian Musunse11Patrick Nyendwa12Viennah Kapenda13Paul Psychas14Julie R Gutman15Moonga Hawela16Ignatius Banda17Sampa Chitambala-Otiono18Julie I Thwing19PATH, Seattle, Washington, USANational Malaria Elimination Centre, Zambia Ministry of Health, Lusaka, ZambiaPATH, Lusaka, ZambiaPATH, Seattle, Washington, USAPATH, Lusaka, ZambiaPATH, Seattle, Washington, USAPATH, Lusaka, ZambiaUniversity of California San Francisco, UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences, San Francisco, California, USAPATH, Lusaka, ZambiaPATH, Lusaka, ZambiaPATH, Lusaka, ZambiaPATH, Lusaka, ZambiaPATH, Lusaka, ZambiaPATH, Lusaka, ZambiaUS President’s Malaria Initiative, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lusaka, ZambiaMalaria Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USANational Malaria Elimination Centre, Zambia Ministry of Health, Lusaka, ZambiaNational Malaria Elimination Centre, Zambia Ministry of Health, Lusaka, ZambiaNational Malaria Elimination Centre, Zambia Ministry of Health, Lusaka, ZambiaMalaria Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USAEnsuring prompt and effective case management of malaria remains an ongoing challenge in Zambia, where care is not sought for roughly 40% of febrile children under 5 years of age. To expand access, the Ministry of Health has scaled up routine malaria community case management (mCCM) for all ages over the past decade. As of 2018, nearly a quarter of children who received antimalarials obtained them from a community health worker (CHW), but gaps in treatment seeking remain. Proactive community case management (proCCM), under which CHWs regularly visit households to screen, test and treat individuals for malaria, aims to improve timely case management, avert severe disease and potentially reduce transmission. To evaluate the impact of weekly proCCM on malaria parasite prevalence and incidence in the context of strong routine community case management, we conducted a two-arm cluster-randomised controlled trial, comparing proCCM plus routine passive care to routine passive care only in Chadiza District, Eastern Province, Zambia, between April 2021 and May 2023. Baseline and endline surveys were conducted during peak transmission season to ascertain parasite prevalence, while facility, routine mCCM and proCCM incidence data were collected through routine surveillance systems and weekly household visits, respectively. In the control arm, malaria prevalence decreased from 19.7% in 2021 to 16.0% in 2023, and in the intervention arm, from 18.7% to 13.7%. No significant difference between arms in the change in parasite prevalence was estimated (adjusted relative risk=0.97, 95% CI=0.77 to 1.23). However, there was a small, ongoing decline in malaria incidence each month in proCCM clusters compared with control clusters (adjusted incidence rate ratio=0.98, 95% Bayesian credible interval=0.96 to 0.99). Our study suggests proCCM may modestly reduce malaria incidence over time in some settings with high baseline utilisation of routine facility and community case management. Trial registration number: NCT04839900https://gh.bmj.com/content/10/5/e017697.full
spellingShingle Adam Bennett
Busiku Hamainza
Marie-Reine I Rutagwera
Ellen L Ferriss
Bupe M Kabamba
Travis Porter
Chabu C Kangale
Sarah Gallalee
Melody Simataa
John M Miller
Caroline Phiri-Chibawe
Maximillian Musunse
Patrick Nyendwa
Viennah Kapenda
Paul Psychas
Julie R Gutman
Moonga Hawela
Ignatius Banda
Sampa Chitambala-Otiono
Julie I Thwing
Impact of proactive malaria community case management (proCCM) on parasite prevalence and incidence from 2021 to 2023: a randomised controlled trial in Chadiza District, Eastern Province, Zambia
BMJ Global Health
title Impact of proactive malaria community case management (proCCM) on parasite prevalence and incidence from 2021 to 2023: a randomised controlled trial in Chadiza District, Eastern Province, Zambia
title_full Impact of proactive malaria community case management (proCCM) on parasite prevalence and incidence from 2021 to 2023: a randomised controlled trial in Chadiza District, Eastern Province, Zambia
title_fullStr Impact of proactive malaria community case management (proCCM) on parasite prevalence and incidence from 2021 to 2023: a randomised controlled trial in Chadiza District, Eastern Province, Zambia
title_full_unstemmed Impact of proactive malaria community case management (proCCM) on parasite prevalence and incidence from 2021 to 2023: a randomised controlled trial in Chadiza District, Eastern Province, Zambia
title_short Impact of proactive malaria community case management (proCCM) on parasite prevalence and incidence from 2021 to 2023: a randomised controlled trial in Chadiza District, Eastern Province, Zambia
title_sort impact of proactive malaria community case management proccm on parasite prevalence and incidence from 2021 to 2023 a randomised controlled trial in chadiza district eastern province zambia
url https://gh.bmj.com/content/10/5/e017697.full
work_keys_str_mv AT adambennett impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT busikuhamainza impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT mariereineirutagwera impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT ellenlferriss impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT bupemkabamba impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT travisporter impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT chabuckangale impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT sarahgallalee impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT melodysimataa impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT johnmmiller impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT carolinephirichibawe impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT maximillianmusunse impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT patricknyendwa impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT viennahkapenda impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT paulpsychas impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT juliergutman impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT moongahawela impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT ignatiusbanda impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT sampachitambalaotiono impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia
AT julieithwing impactofproactivemalariacommunitycasemanagementproccmonparasiteprevalenceandincidencefrom2021to2023arandomisedcontrolledtrialinchadizadistricteasternprovincezambia