Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41947080›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2026

Operational performance of a programmatic mass drug administration campaign for malaria in southern Mozambique: a comprehensive mixed-methods evaluation of implementation outcomes.

Laura Fuente-Soro, Maria Tusell, Jacopo Vecchio, Amancio Nhangave, Khalid Bapu, Christina Riley, Felisbela Materrula, Mércia Dimene, Samira Sibindy, Baltazar Candrinho and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Laura Fuente-SoroBarcelona Institute for Global Health, Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. laura.delafuente@isglobal.org.
Maria TusellBarcelona Institute for Global Health, Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Jacopo VecchioBarcelona Institute for Global Health, Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Amancio NhangaveGaza Provincial Directorate of Health, Xai-Xai, Mozambique.
Khalid BapuManhiça Health Research Centre, Manhiça, Mozambique.
Christina Riley, Akros, Lusaka, Zambia.
Felisbela MaterrulaManhiça Health Research Centre, Manhiça, Mozambique.
Mércia DimeneNational Malaria Control Program (NMCP), Ministry of Health, Maputo, Mozambique.
Samira SibindyNational Malaria Control Program (NMCP), Ministry of Health, Maputo, Mozambique.
Baltazar CandrinhoNational Malaria Control Program (NMCP), Ministry of Health, Maputo, Mozambique.
Pedro AideManhiça Health Research Centre, Manhiça, Mozambique.
Caterina GuinovartBarcelona Institute for Global Health, Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe World Health Organization (WHO) recommends Mass Drug Administration (MDA) to reduce malaria transmission in low-transmission settings, with a target coverage of at least 80%. To maximize impact, the development of effective and sustainable programmatic implementation strategies is essential. Between December 2022 and February 2023, two rounds of programmatic MDA (pMDA) were implemented in Chidenguele, in Gaza province, Mozambique. The target population was approximately 59,271 individuals. Door-to-door drug distribution, using dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine, was guided by satellite imagery-based mapping.

methodsA mixed-methods evaluation was conducted to assess operational performance —including acceptability, appropriateness, coverage, feasibility, fidelity, and adoption— using a community household survey (n = 770), a health staff survey (n = 28), and field observations (n = 149).

resultsAmong household survey participants eligible for medication during round 2, 96,2% (607/631) accepted to participate in the pMDA. All health staff survey participants and 91,3% (703/770) of household survey participants considered taking antimalarials while asymptomatic to be an acceptable preventive measure. All health staff survey participants (28/28) and 84,1% (648/770) of household survey participants felt the intervention was appropriate for reducing malaria transmission in the community. Programmatic or contact coverage (proportion of survey participants that received pMDA treatment) reached 73,9% (569/770), while operational coverage (proportion of those present at the time of the intervention that received pMDA treatment) was 90,2% (569/631). All health staff survey participants (28/28) considered the pMDA implementation strategy feasible to implement. In terms of fidelity, direct observations of pMDA household visits showed that pMDA distribution teams correctly explained the purpose of the visit in 74,5% (111/149) of interactions, requested verbal consent in 86,6% (129/149), and emphasized the importance of completing the treatment in 60,4% (90/149). Health staff survey participants showed strong willingness to adopt the procedures, with 86.0% (24/28) and 96.0% (27/28) expressing high commitment in rounds 1 and 2, respectively.

conclusionsDespite the pMDA delivery strategy being implemented with good operational performance and being well accepted by the community and health staff, reaching the 80% coverage target remains challenging. Sustained collaboration and active engagement from communities, partners, and policymakers, and enhancement of some key outcomes, such as the fidelity of the implementation, are critical to improving coverage and ensuring the success of pMDA campaigns.

Indexed as

AntimalarialsArtemisininsMalariaMass Drug AdministrationQuinolinesAdolescentAdultChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMozambiquePiperazinesProgram EvaluationAntimalarialsArtemisininsartenimolpiperaquinePiperazinesQuinolinesImplementation outcomesMalariaMass drug administrationMixed-methods evaluationMozambiqueProgrammatic implementation

Identifiers

PMID41947080
PMCPMC13192075

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.