HOME
IMM Consortium Home Page
...go
About IMMC
Who is involved and how the IMM Consortium operates
...more
DONATE
Funding committed to ending the malaria crisis
is not yet enough. PLEASE HELP.
Donation Info
Successes
Yesterday and today
...more
IMM
About Integrated Malaria Management
...more
Data
Scientific Data and Management Information
...more
FEEDBACK
Please send feedback ... good information about
malaria success and failure is valuable
...more
Links
Links to pdf reports and studies
...more
|
|
|
|
|
Spraying the interior vertical surfaces of homes with a pesticide reduces malaria
transmission by both toxicity and by repellant action. DDT is the most effective
pesticide because it lasts a long time and has the strongest repellant action.
|
Image credit: Seeking permission
Image credit: Seeking permission
Image credit: Seeking permission
Image credit: Seeking permission
|
Interior Residual Spraying
Interior residual spraying (IRS) is a malaria control intervention where the interior
walls of a dwelling are sprayed with an insecticide. The sparying needs to be done by
trained staff who understand the precautions that need to be taken in order for the
procedures to be safe.
In general terms the insecticides used are toxic to mosquitoes, but safe for animals and
humans in the manner used.
IRS works in two ways: (1) by killing mosquitoes when they land on the surfaces to rest; and,
(2) by a repellent effect that discourages the mosquito from coming into the space in the first
place.
Training staff and being safe
Being safe when working for prolonged periods with insecticides requires use of the correct
procedures and good safety practices. All staff should therefore be well trained in the handling
and use of pesticides.
The IMM Consortium has experience in the management of insecticides, the training and certification
of staff in the use and handling of chemicals and insecticides.
Cost effectiveness
IRS has been reported to be 3 times more cost effective than bednets ... but cost comparison is not
easy because of the many variables involved. Programs that make use of IRS seem to get more tangible
results than programs involving bednets, or programs that treat malaria with addressing the problem of
malaria transmission and reinfection.
The data depicted in the image to the left relates to the malaria control program on Bioko Island,
Equatorial Guinea operated by Marathon Oil. In the graphic the left hand data refers to the reduction
in the malaria parasite in the mosquito population: down by 94% in three years. The right hand data
refers to the reduction of the malaria parasite in children: down by 44% in three years.
Spray plans
The best results are achieved when a high proportion of the structures are treated. This is a
challenge because of people's unwillingness for the teams to enter their homes, and the logistics
of the work in areas where the layout is complex.
Increasingly, spray programs are being implemented using GPS devices to record what is being done.
The issue of DDT
DDT is the most cost effective insecticide ... it is a low cost insecticide, it lasts
much longer than any other insecticide and it acts both to kill mosquitoes and to repell
mosquitoes. Depending on the detailed circumstances, use of DDT is probably 4 times more
cost effective than any other IRS insecticide.
DDT has been totally banned in many countries due to its persistance in the food chain. This was an
issue of some significance when DDT was being used in vast quantities for agricultural pest control,
but is not a meaningful issue when used in low volumes in connection with mosquito pest control in
malaria endemic areas. This is a very emotional matter - the consensus of the IMM Consortium is that
DDT's value in malaria control is very high relative to the potential risks that it is immoral not
to make appropriate use of DDT.
|
|
|
|
IMM
About Integrated Malaria Management
...Go
|
|
Surveillance, data collection and analysis
... Go
Environmental clean-up
... Go
Source control
... Go
Interior residual spraying
... Go
Ultra Low Volume (ULV) spraying
... Go
Personal protection ... insecticide treated bednets
... Go
The medical dimension
... Go
|
|
