OPT-SMC: The Gambia project

SMC implementation began in 2013 in the Gambia. SMC was first implemented in the Upper River Region and Central River Region areas in the eastern part of the country. The program was later scaled-up to the Lower River Region and West Coast Health Region. The western part of the country is prioritized as this is where malaria incidence is highest. Four cycles of SMC are implemented in 39 districts in the country and SMC has now been extended to include children aged 5 - 10 years in certain areas in the Upper River Region and Central River Region.

Estimated SMC coverage in implementation areas is over 80%. However, little work has been done in this country to evaluate adherence to the treatment regimen to look at whether adherence to SMC varies with child’s age, in particular in the areas where SMC will be extended to include children aged 5 – 10 years.

The OPT-SMC project in The Gambia aims to investigate caregiver’s adherence to the administration of SMC in 4 administrative regions of the country where SMC is being implemented.

A qualitative research project is being carried out using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with caregivers and community representatives to explore the barriers and facilitators to SMC delivery to target strategies to improving adherence where SMC coverage remains sub-optimal. It is expected that the findings will highlight the major factors responsible for poor adherence to SMC treatment and provide evidence for a recommendation to modify the current SMC delivery strategy to achieve optimal adherence among SMC recipients.

Data collection and data entry are currently ongoing.