Building malaria out: improving health in the home.
Malaria prevalence has halved in endemic Africa since 2000, largely driven by the concerted international control effort. To achieve the new global targets for malaria control and elimination by 2030, and to sustain elimination once achieved, additional vector control interventions are urgently needed to supplement long-lasting insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying, which both rely on effective insecticides for optimal protection. Improving housing and the built environment is a promising strategy to address this need, with an expanding body of evidence that simple modifications to reduce house entry by malaria vectors, such as closing eaves and screening doors and windows, can help protect residents from malaria. However, numerous questions remain unanswered, from basic science relating to the optimal design of house improvements through to their translation into operational use. The Malaria Journal thematic series on 'housing and malaria' collates articles that contribute to the evidence base on approaches for improving housing to reduce domestic malaria transmission.
Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, c/o Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK. ltusting@gmail.com.
Lucy S
0000-0002-6897-8625
LS
Tusting
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
Barbara
B
Willey
Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
Jo
0000-0001-5380-4916
J
Lines
D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D060389:Construction Industry / Q000379:methods*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009032:Mosquito Control / Q000379:methods*
Anopheles; Disease vector; Eaves; Housing; Malaria; Mosquito; Plasmodium