As Tanzania progresses towards the goals of the
Abuja declaration and ITN coverage becomes almost universal, there is likely to
be a selection pressure on malaria mosquitoes to feed outdoors and earlier in
the evening when hosts are available. This coupled with changes in lifestyle
such as increased access to electricity so people stay awake later means that
the relative exposure of the population to infectious mosquito bites is likely
to switch to earlier in the evening. A topical insect repellent containing deet
can dramatically reduce malaria in South America and Southern Asia where
vectors feed early in the evening. The project aims to measure the impact of
such a repellent on clinical episodes of malaria in rural Africa.
Additionally, the project objectives are;
1. Evaluate the Clinical efficacy of repellents in rural Africa
a. Small scale field trial of a commercial DEET-based repellent against East African malaria vectors and nuisance mosquitoes
b. Cluster controlled, household randomized clinical survey to measure impact of DEET repellent on monthly household malaria incidence and episodes of clinical malaria when used in conjunction with LLITNs versus LLITNs alone
2. Feasibility of repellents for introduction to Tanzania
a. Questionnaire-based survey of knowledge about repellents and perceptions of repellents pre-trial and post trial b. Longitudinal monitoring of user uptake and continued use c. Questionnaire based survey of users’ perceived benefit and willingness to pay post-trial. d. Focus groups to identify locally desirable characteristics for repellents and packaging.
