There are about 8 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in South Sudan. The country of the clinical trial is determined by the location of where the clinical research is being studied. Most studies are often held in multiple locations & countries.
This study aims to explore whether SMC is an effective intervention in the context of Northen Bahr el Gazal state, South Sudan. It also aims to assess the protective efficacy of the antimalarials used in SMC in the target population and investigate levels of parasite resistance in the study counties. If successful, this trial should provide the evidence for SMC to be included in malaria programming and policy in South Sudan. A Type II hybrid effectiveness-implementation study design will be used to evaluate the effects of a clinical intervention on relevant outcomes whilst collecting information on implementation. It is designed to determine feasibility and effectiveness of an innovative intervention, as well as the protective efficacy of the antimalarial drugs used. The study consists of five components: 1) A series of cross-sectional surveys establishing confirmed malaria cases in children; 2) A prospective cohort study to determine the protective efficacy of SPAQ (if SPAQ provides 28 days of protection from infection) and whether drug concentrations and/or resistance influence the duration of protection; 3) A resistance markers study in children 3-59 months in the research county; 4) Modelling the protective effect of SPAQ in South Sudan to determine where SMC could be a suitable malaria prevention strategy in other areas of the country, and 5) A process evaluation to understand feasibility and acceptability of the SMC intervention in South Sudan.