Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPTc) for Seasonal Malaria Transmission-An Opinion

The World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends seasonal malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) againstfalciparum malaria, which is “effective, cost-effective, safe, and feasible for the prevention of malaria among childrenless than five years of age in areas with highly seasonal malaria transmission”. Due to tropical monsoon (rainyseason followed by dry season), hilly forests with the river, Bangladesh is an ideal setting for seasonal malariatransmission, especially in Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) districts. Intermittent Preventive Treatment in children (IPTc)has been successfully implemented in West African countries that prevent three-quarter of all clinical malariaepisodes. Bangladesh has a similar context in terms of climate, malaria species, and structure of the health systemare similar to these African countries. So, IPTc can be applicable in Bangladesh along with the National MalariaControl Program (NMCP). But need to secure consistent funding ensure good management of drugs supply,storage, and delivery.