Provision Of Insecticide-treated Nets Research Articles

Malaria prevention measures in Burkina Faso: distribution and households expenditures.

BackgroundThe provision of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) is widely accepted in Burkina Faso thanks to large-scale national distribution campaigns. However, household also use other methods of prevention. Thus far, there is little knowledge about the expenditures of these malaria prevention methods, particularly in combination with the national interventions. This paper presents the utilization levels and expenditures of malaria prevention tools in Burkina Faso and explores the potential inequality in ownership.MethodsThe analysis is based on a cross-sectional survey, conducted during the 2010 high transmission season from July to September in the Nanoro Health and Demographic Surveillance Site. Following a systematic sampling technique, the survey covers 500 households with children under 5 years of age from 24 villages.In the survey, households were asked about expenditures on malaria prevention methods in the month preceding the survey. This includes expenditure on coils, indoor spraying, aerosols, repellents, herbs, cleaning of the environment and clearing of the vegetation. The data analysis was conducted with SPSS taking into account the socio-economic status (SES) of the household to examine any differences in the utilization of the prevention method and expenditure quintiles. An asset-based index, created through principal components analysis (PCA), was used to categorize the households into quintiles.FindingsOf the households surveyed, 45% used one preventive measure in the past month; 29% used two measures; and 25% used three or more measures. A significant association was found between the number of prevention measures and the SES of the household (p < 0.05). The majority of households owned at least one insecticide treated net (ITN) (98%). Among households that used ITN, 53.8% used methods other than bed nets. The majority of households paid nothing for malaria prevention.ConclusionMost of the households received bed nets and other preventive method for free. There is equity in expenditures across SES groups. Free distribution of ITNs ensured that there was equity in ITN ownership among households. More research on the possibility of increasing access to other locally relevant methods of malaria control that proved to be effective is need.

Factoring Quality Laboratory Diagnosis into the Malaria Control Agenda for Sub-Saharan Africa

Recent progress in malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa has been achieved primarily through provision of insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying, and antimalarial drugs. Although these interventions are important, proper case identification and accurate measurement of their impact depend on quality diagnostic testing. Current availability of diagnostic testing for malaria in sub-Saharan Africa is inadequate to support disease management, prevention programs, and surveillance needs. Challenges faced include a dearth of skilled workforce, inadequate health systems infrastructure, and lack of political will. A coordinated approach to providing pre-service clinical and laboratory training together with systems that support a scale-up of laboratory services could provide means not only for effective malaria case management but also, management of non-malaria febrile illnesses, disease surveillance, and accurate control program evaluation. A synthesis of the challenges faced in ensuring quality malaria testing and how to include this information in the malaria control and elimination agenda are presented.

Insecticide-Treated Nets, the Key Element for Rolling Back Malaria in North-Eastern India: Policy and Practice

For decades of attempted control using DDT indoor residual spraying and increased allocation of resources, malaria continues to deter the socio-economic development in the north-eastern states of India. Focal disease outbreaks are recurring and all death cases are ascribed to Plasmodium falciparum malaria. As an alternative strategy to DDT, vil- lage scale filed trials with insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) were conducted in malaria endemic pocket of Assam during 1988-1990 that were evaluated to be a success story by the Technical Advisory Committee of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme of Government of India. Based on the research findings, a pilot project was undertaken under centrally sponsored scheme to assess the operational feasibility and sustainability of this intervention through primary health care services in the northeast sector for which National Institute of Malaria Research of Indian Council of Medical Research served as the nodal agency for technology transfer. Under this scheme, one hundred thousand insecticide-treated nets were distributed gratis beginning1996 in communities living below poverty line that were identified by the respective state health directorate of seven states of the northeast. For reporting states of Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh for which data were analyzed, the results were promising in reducing disease transmission, and public response was over- whelming. The communities clearly preferred ITNs against DDT spraying and reported collateral benefits for decreased nuisance due to other household insect pests. Since then provision of ITNs is a continuing activity including impregnation of community-owned nets. We provide data on technology transfer and transmission reduction, and issues related to chal- lenges and prospects for malaria control using ITNs as evidence-based intervention are discussed.