Community deployment of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine a field guide

Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is a long-standing WHO recommendation; however, according to the latest World malaria report, 58% of pregnant women are still not benefiting from this protective intervention. This field guide focuses on minimizing these missed opportunities by increasing IPTp coverage using a community-based delivery approach (c-IPTp) through trained community health workers, complementing deployment of IPTp-SP at antenatal care clinics. The approach is well aligned with the updated IPTp recommendations published in the WHO guidelines for malaria on 3 June 2022.

The document outlines essential steps and provides guidance to countries on the adoption and deployment of c-IPTp so that it is integrated into the existing health system. It draws upon best practices and lessons learned from pilot implementation experiences in eight African countries and targets stakeholders at the national level that are involved in the provision of maternal and child services, including national and local policymakers and implementers of malaria, maternal health, child health, reproductive health and community health programmes, and nongovernmental and other organizations.

Countries that decide to introduce c-IPTp are encouraged to adapt the guidance given in this document to their national and local contexts.