Malaria control in a forest fringe area of Assam, India: a pilot study

Abstract

A study was conducted to evaluate the preventive efficacy of insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITMNs) and mosquito repellent (MR) in a malaria-endemic foothill area of Assam, India, with forest ecosystem. During the first year, a survey was conducted in four demarcated sectors (A-D) to observe the malaria endemicity and vector prevalence patterns before implementing intervention measures. All four sectors were endemic for malaria. The prevalence of established malaria vectors such as Anopheles dirus, A. minimus and A. philippinensis was observed. During the second year, intervention measures were implemented in the four sectors as follows: A, ITMN + MR; B, ITMN; C, MR; D, no intervention. The most effective intervention was in sector A, followed by sectors B and C. Sectors A and B exhibited significantly higher (P < 0.001) malaria protective efficacy during both the first and second years of intervention compared with sector D. The total vector population in the three intervention sectors decreased significantly compared with that of the non-intervention one. Information-education-communication activities motivated the residents to participate actively in the intervention programme. The finding could be an effective model for containment of high malaria morbidity in inaccessible forest fringe areas of the northeastern region of India.