In the study, the rate of SGEGA haplotype was low (2.1%). Although K540E and A581G alleles are more common in Eastern Africa, a distinct lineage of SGEGA is also present in the DRC, which is located in Central Africa.
Both actual and perceived costs are currently barriers to IPTp uptake.
Given the low malaria risk and reported avoidance of medication during pregnancy, intermittent preventive treatment is hard to justify or implement.
Use of SP for malaria treatment is common during pregnancy.
If proved to be cost-effective, dispensing IPTp training to ANC providers should be prioritized.
There was low level of knowledge of the guidelines for implementation of IPTp by all providers, especially those in the private sector.
The results of this study question the accuracy of self-reported data in estimating IPTp coverage in the population.
This study found low coverage of IPTp and high levels of missed opportunities supporting findings that high ANC attendance does not guarantee high IPTp coverage.
The implementation of the IPTi-SP resulted in a substantial reduction in all-cause mortality in children.
IPT-SP remains an effective strategy in Kisangani and Mikalayi where the therapeutic failure to SP in children with clinical malaria was 21.7% and 1.6%, respectively, while IPTp-SP effect seems lower in Rutshuru where the therapeutic failure to SP was 60.6%.
