New Study Finds Ivermectin Pill Can Cut Malaria Cases by 26% (Image Source: ANI (Representative Image))
A recent study has shown that a medicine called ivermectin—once used mainly to treat diseases like river blindness and scabies—can help reduce the spread of malaria when given to entire communities along with the use of mosquito bed nets.
The study, known as the BOHEMIA trial, is the largest research project so far to test ivermectin's effect on malaria. It found that using the medicine widely in the community led to a 26% drop in new malaria cases, in addition to the protection already provided by bed nets. The results offer strong hope for controlling malaria in areas where traditional methods are not working as well anymore.
This project was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), along with support from the Manhica Health Research Centre (CISM) and the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme. The results were published in the well-known medical journal, The New England Journal of Medicine.
In 2023, malaria caused around 263 million infections and nearly 600,000 deaths. Tools like long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) and indoor spraying have helped control the disease in the past, but mosquitoes are becoming resistant to these chemicals. Also, more mosquitoes are now biting people outdoors or during times when they are not using nets. This has created an urgent need for new ways to fight malaria.
Ivermectin, a medicine used for diseases like river blindness and elephantiasis, can kill mosquitoes that bite people who have taken it. This stops the mosquitoes from spreading malaria. Because mosquitoes are getting resistant to regular insecticides, ivermectin could be a useful new tool in areas where current methods no longer work well.
The BOHEMIA project, with support from Unitaid, tested the medicine in two places—Kwale County in Kenya and Mopeia district in Mozambique. They gave over 56,000 doses to more than 20,000 people during the study. People took one dose of ivermectin each month for three months during the rainy season, when malaria is common.
In Kenya, the focus was on children aged 5 to 15 years, and in Mozambique, on children under five. The results showed that children in Kwale County who received ivermectin had a 26% lower chance of getting malaria compared to those who got a different medicine (albendazole).
The medicine was safe to use, with no serious side effects—only mild and short-term symptoms, similar to those already known from past use in treating tropical diseases.
Carlos Chaccour, a lead researcher for BOHEMIA, called the results exciting. “Ivermectin could be a strong partner in the fight against malaria and may even help us eliminate the disease,” he said. He now works at the University of Navarra in Spain. Joseph Mwangangi, from the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust, added that the results meet the World Health Organisation's standards for new mosquito control tools. Marta Maia, the project’s lead mosquito expert from the University of Oxford, noted that ivermectin could be very helpful in places where mosquitoes are resistant to regular insecticides.
The World Health Organisation’s Vector Control Advisory Group has reviewed the study and confirmed that it shows real impact. They recommend that more studies be done to explore this further. Also, national health officials in malaria-affected countries have been informed about the findings. They are now looking into whether ivermectin should be added to their malaria control programs.
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