A study in Kwale County has revealed that monthly doses of a common anti-parasitic drug can reduce malaria cases in children by 26 percent, offering a cost-effective new weapon in the global battle against the disease.
The research paper published in The Lancet Global Health, evaluated the impact of Ivermectin Mass Drug Administration (iMDA) as a supplementary tool to traditional methods like bed nets and indoor spraying. While traditional interventions have significantly reduced malaria incidence, their effectiveness is increasingly threatened by emerging challenges, including insecticide-resistant mosquitoes and behavioural adaptations in mosquito populations.
Researchers from the BOHEMIA consortium tested a new way to help control malaria. In their study, eligible participants were given ivermectin tablets once a month for three months in a row.
Ivermectin works in a unique way. It acts as an “endectocide,” meaning that when a mosquito bites someone who has taken the medicine, the mosquito dies shortly afterward. This helps break the cycle of malaria transmission because fewer mosquitoes survive to spread the disease.
The researchers concluded that this approach, called ivermectin mass drug administration (iMDA), can be a cost-effective additional tool for controlling malaria in areas where malaria transmission is moderate and where many people already sleep under insecticide-treated nets. In other words, it is not meant to replace existing methods, but to strengthen them by targeting mosquito behaviours that bed nets and sprays do not fully address.
The program costs about $11.83 per person to carry out. This is two to three times more expensive than distributing insecticide-treated nets. However, the researchers stress that ivermectin is designed to tackle gaps that traditional tools miss.
Malaria also places a heavy financial burden on families. Treating one simple case costs about $5.85 on average. A severe case that requires hospitalisation can cost more than $52. For a family with five children, repeated malaria episodes can be financially devastating. The study found that malaria expenses can amount to about 11% of a household’s annual income.
To measure the program’s overall value, researchers used a standard public health measure called Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), which reflects years of healthy life saved. The cost per DALY saved was $905.23. This is below Kenya’s cost-effectiveness threshold of $974.65, meaning the intervention is considered good value for money in that setting.
The study also suggests that costs could be lowered by combining ivermectin distribution with other health programs, such as seasonal malaria campaigns or deworming efforts. By sharing resources and targeting different stages of malaria transmission at the same time, greater impact can be achieved at a lower overall cost.
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