Ivermectin Cuts Malaria Infection By 26% In Children, Study Finds

In a significant breakthrough, researchers have found that ivermectin can lower new malaria infections in children by 26%.

The drug, widely known for treating parasitic diseases such as river blindness and elephantiasis, now shows potential as a tool to curb malaria transmission.

The study, conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Kenya’s Kwale County, focused on children aged 5 to 15.

Those treated with ivermectin experienced a marked decline in malaria infections compared to children who received the standard control drug, albendazole.

The findings have been published in ‘The New England Journal of Medicine’.

Unlike conventional insecticides, ivermectin works by killing mosquitoes that feed on treated individuals. This indirect approach helps disrupt the malaria transmission cycle, especially in areas where insects have grown resistant to traditional control methods.

Carlos Chaccour, co-principal investigator of the study and ISGlobal researcher, expressed hope about the drug’s wider application.

“Ivermectin has shown great promise in reducing malaria transmission and could complement existing control measures,” he noted. He is currently affiliated with the Navarra Centre for International Development at the University of Navarra.

Safe & Effective Use in Communities

The clinical trial administered a single dose of ivermectin (400 mcg/kg) monthly for three months at the start of the rainy season.

The reduction in malaria was particularly evident in children living farther from border zones or in areas where drug distribution was more efficient.

Importantly, the study reported no serious side effects, only mild and temporary reactions that are typical in anti-parasitic treatment campaigns.

The research strengthens the case for using ivermectin as part of community-wide malaria prevention strategies.

According to the team, this method could be especially valuable in regions where mosquitoes have adapted to bite outdoors or during hours when people are not under bed nets or exposed to insecticides indoors.

The global malaria burden remains high, with 263 million cases and nearly 600,000 deaths reported in 2023. Resistance to insecticides and shifting mosquito behaviour have made standard defences like bed nets and indoor spraying less effective.

This underscores the urgency for innovative solutions. Ivermectin mass drug administration (MDA), the researchers suggest, could offer an alternative pathway in the broader fight against malaria, potentially supporting long-term goals of elimination in high-burden regions.

With further trials and support, ivermectin may soon join the limited toolkit of malaria control methods, offering renewed hope in the global campaign against one of the deadliest infectious diseases.

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