Malaria in Infants: The Role of Data in Expanding Life-Saving Access

Malaria in infants remains one of the most urgent but underserved public health challenges in Africa. Each year, over 30 million babies are born in malaria-endemic regions, many weighing less than 5 kilograms at birth. Until mid-2025, there was no approved malaria treatment for this weight group. Now, with the approval of Coartem Baby (also known as Riamet Baby), the world has taken a major leap toward filling that gap.

But this advancement is not just about medicine—it’s about data. From identifying treatment gaps to guiding regulatory approval and targeting delivery, data has played a pivotal role in expanding life-saving access for infants. This article explores how health data systems, evidence generation, and local analysis tools are transforming infant malaria response—and what Inscend is doing to support the next frontier.

1. The Hidden Crisis: Malaria Among Africa’s Newborns

Malaria remains one of the leading causes of child mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa, with newborns (0–6 months) being at disproportionately high risk. Unlike older children, they:

• Are often missed in treatment data

• Cannot swallow standard pills

• Are too small for existing weight-based dosing

• Have immature immune systems

Until recently, this group relied largely on off-label or improvised treatment—a major safety and efficacy concern.

🔍 Data Point: According to the WHO and Novartis, more than 260,000 African children under five die from malaria each year. A significant percentage are under six months of age—yet remain poorly tracked.

2. Coartem Baby: A Data-Driven Breakthrough

In July 2025, Swissmedic became the first authority to approve Coartem Baby, a cherry-flavored, dispersible formulation of the widely used Coartem (artemether/lumefantrine) drug, specifically designed for infants weighing less than 5kg.

Key attributes:

• Easily dissolves in breast milk or water

• Enables weight-appropriate dosing

• Designed with infant swallowing and digestion in mind

• Requires no refrigeration, suitable for low-resource settings

The approval followed a data-rich clinical trial process in 8 African countries, and infant malaria burden data, drug resistance mapping, and treatment accessibility indices are informing deployment planning.

3. The Power of Data in Identifying the Gap

Before Coartem Baby could be developed, data had to prove the existence and size of the treatment gap. Key insights came from:

A. National Health Management Information Systems (HMIS)

Routine facility-level data from countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Tanzania showed high malaria admissions among babies, but low treatment coverage.

B. DHS and MICS Surveys

Demographic Health Surveys captured patterns of low care-seeking behavior and lack of awareness among caregivers with newborns.

C. Clinical Trial Registries

A scan of existing trials revealed a near-total absence of infant-specific formulations, especially in Africa.

🔍 Insight: It was this triangulated data—collected, disaggregated, and made visible—that catalyzed both investment and regulatory attention.

4. From Approval to Access: Where Data Still Matters

Now that Coartem Baby is approved, data is critical for scaling up access. Key data applications include:

A. Supply Chain Forecasting

• Ministries of Health can estimate drug needs by overlaying newborn birth rates, malaria seasonality, and geographic burden.

B. Equity Targeting

• Using GIS and M&E dashboards to identify regions with lowest infant health service access, prioritizing rollout accordingly.

C. Training & Communication

• Data on health worker knowledge gaps helps shape training curricula on administering new infant doses.

• Behavior Change Communication (BCC) tools are designed around data-informed messages about safety and usage.

D. Pharmacovigilance

• Real-time adverse event monitoring systems track early reactions in the field—key for regulatory feedback and trust.

5. Broader Lessons for Health Systems

The Coartem Baby rollout provides a template for how data-driven interventions can dramatically improve health equity:

• Evidence Justifies Innovation: Without initial burden data, the need for infant-specific treatment might have remained invisible.

• Targeting Increases Efficiency: Identifying high-need districts ensures faster impact with fewer resources.

• Community Trust is Built Through Transparency: Data sharing empowers communities to demand services and track progress.

• Dashboards and Visualization make data actionable for busy implementers and decision-makers.

6. Inscend’s Role: Enabling Data for Health Equity

As a firm specializing in Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and data visualization, Inscend Consulting Limited works with health partners across Africa to:

🔹 Map Gaps in Access

We use survey analysis, GIS mapping, and routine data systems to pinpoint where health interventions are not reaching vulnerable groups—like infants.

🔹 Build Interactive Dashboards

Our teams build custom Power BI tools for Ministries of Health and NGOs, allowing stakeholders to track treatment access, dropout points, and demand generation.

🔹 Strengthen Learning Loops

Inscend supports clients to move beyond static reports—creating real-time learning mechanisms to adapt strategies during rollout.

🔹 Localize Policy Guidance

We work with partners to translate national policies into district-level action, ensuring that frontline health workers understand and trust new treatments.

7. Challenges Ahead

Despite the progress, challenges remain:

• Limited disaggregated data on infants under 6 months in many health systems

• Insufficient digital infrastructure to support dashboards in rural clinics

• Funding gaps for expanding infant-specific malaria surveillance

• Need for cross-sector collaboration between health ministries, pharmaceutical regulators, and technology providers

8. The Path Forward: A Data-Informed Ecosystem

To scale infant malaria treatment effectively, Africa needs:

Component	Action Required
Data Availability	Expand newborn malaria tracking in HMIS & surveys
Technology	Deploy mobile dashboards and offline-capable data tools
Human Capacity	Train data officers and nurses in infant-specific indicators
Policy Engagement	Use data to advocate for sustained government procurement
Community Involvement	Build trust through transparency and participation

Malaria in Infants: Malaria Equity Begins with Visibility

Infants are the invisible population in many health programs—not because they’re not affected, but because the data rarely tell their stories.

The introduction of Coartem Baby shows how evidence can correct that narrative, leading to life-saving interventions for those previously left behind. But approval is only the beginning.

At Inscend Consulting Limited, we believe that data is not just a diagnostic tool—it’s an equity tool. When used wisely, data can direct attention, shape strategy, and illuminate the path to healthier futures.

✅ Ready to leverage data to expand your impact?

📩 Contact us. Let’s build health systems that leave no baby behind.