Simplifying and optimising management of acute malnutrition in children aged 6 to 59 months: study protocol for a 3 arms community-based individually randomised controlled trial in decentralised Niger

BACKGROUND

Simplified approaches of acute malnutrition (AM) treatment have been conducted over the past 5 years intending to unify processes and increase coverage among children aged 6 to 59 months without medical complication. The Optimsing treatment for Acute Malnutrition (OptiMA) and the Combined Protocol for Acute Malnutrition Study (ComPAS) are mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC)-based approaches treating children with MUAC < 125 mm or oedema with one sole product-ready-to-use therapeutic food-at a gradually tapered doses. This trial aims to compare the OptiMA and ComPAS strategies to the standard nutritional protocol of Niger assessed by a favourable outcome in the treatment of uncomplicated AM at 6 months post-randomisation and in terms of recovery rate after treatment of uncomplicated SAM (WHZ < - 3 or MUAC < 115mm or oedema) and among the most vulnerable children (MUAC < 115mm or oedema).

METHODS

A non-inferiority individually randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted at the primary health centres level and in the community in the Zinder region in Niger in March 2021. Participants are children aged 6-59 months attending outpatient health centres with MUAC < 125mm or oedema without medical complications. All participants are followed for 6 months. Simplified strategies propose a gradual reduction of RUTF according to MUAC and weight in OptiMA and MUAC only in ComPAS. Favourable outcome is compositely defined at 6 months post-inclusion as being alive, not acutely malnourished by the definition applied at inclusion and without any additional episode of AM throughout the 6-month observation period. Recovery is defined throughout the 6 months post-randomisation by a minimum of 4-week duration of treatment, an axillary temperature < 37.5°C, an absence of bipedal oedema and a MUAC ≥ 125 mm for two consecutive weeks. The sample size calculation required 567 children per arm for the main objective, 295 and 384 children per arm for the secondary objectives among SAM and MUAC < 115 mm children, respectively. Per-protocol and intention-to-treat analyses will be conducted for each outcome.

DISCUSSION

This trial is intending to generate much-needed evidence on various simplified and optimised AM treatment approaches and to participate in reaching a consensus on such nutrition protocols.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04698070 . Registered on January 6, 2021.

Post-exposure prophylaxis following high-risk contact with Ebola virus, using immunotherapies with monoclonal antibodies, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: an emergency use program

INTRODUCTION

With the development of therapeutics and vaccine against Ebola virus disease (EVD), the question of post-exposure prophylaxis for high-risk contact has emerged. Immunotherapies (monoclonal antibodies [mAbs]) recently validated for treating infected patients appear to be a good candidate for protecting contacts.

DESIGN

During the tenth EVD outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we have administrated mAbs (Mab114 or REGN-EB3) to high and intermediate-risk contacts of EVD patients.

RESULTS

Overall, 23 non-vaccinated contacts received mAbs after a median delay between contact and post-exposure prophylaxis of 1 day (interquartile range 1-2). All contacts were free of symptoms, and all had negative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction 14 days after the contact.

CONCLUSION

Immunotherapies appear to be promising candidates to protect EVD contacts. Interaction with vaccine needs to be analyzed and a larger study on efficacy conducted.