Comparison of the effect of insecticide-treated bed nets and DDT residual spraying on the prevalence of malaria transmitted by Anopheles anthropophagus in China

Abstract

In order to improve the control of malaria in a problem part of Hubei Province, China, where Anopheles anthropophagus is the vector of Plasmodium vivax, insecticide treatment of bed nets was introduced. The people were given the choice of DDT residual spraying, which had been used for many years, or deltamethrin treatment of their bed nets. Two counties, in which these 2 different methods had been introduced, and an untreated area were evaluated. DDT house spraying and insecticide treated bed nets were equally effective, but deltamethrin treatment was cheaper and so was considered the method of choice.