Buffet and colleagues have reviewed some of the potential benefits and drawbacks of intermittent preventive antimalarial treatment in children (IPTc). They acknowledge its efficacy but raise concerns about the feasibility of implementing this intervention, its safety, its impact on drug resistance, the possibility that IPTc might impair the development of naturally acquired immunity and its role in a changing environment. We believe that we can address some, although not all, of their concerns. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.