Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded Mbarara University of Science and Technology $1.24 million under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) for a Phase III randomized controlled trial examining factory-treated, long-lasting permethrin baby wraps as a malaria prevention intervention. The award was obligated on June 10, 2026, with a project completion date of May 31, 2031. The research will be conducted in Uganda and builds on earlier promising Phase II findings that demonstrated significant reductions in clinical malaria incidence among children carried in permethrin-treated wraps compared to sham-treated controls.

The primary deliverable is a double-blind, randomized efficacy and safety trial enrolling 750 mother-infant pairs across three Ugandan sites with varying malaria transmission intensities. Aim 1 will determine the effectiveness of factory-treated, long-lasting permethrin wraps in combination with dual active ingredient bed nets for preventing clinical malaria, measured by fever and positive rapid diagnostic test results during the period of wrap use. Aim 2 will establish the safety profile of extended permethrin exposure in young children, addressing a critical gap identified in the earlier trial that utilized monthly re-treatment strategies impractical for scale-up. The factory-treated textile approach is designed to eliminate retreatment needs for up to 12 months while reducing dermal chemical absorption compared to manually re-treated textiles.