307 - Is Africa ready for American style mosquito control?

In Mali, Malaria is the leading cause of morbidity (34%) and mortality (33%) according to the Local Health Information System (DHIS2 2021) data. Children under the age of 5 and pregnant women are most affected. Vector control in Mali is solely based on ITN distribution, which gives protection to people only when they sleep under it. Therefore, Malaria reduction remains a significant challenge in the country. Ouelessebougou Alliance, a Utah based NGO working in Mali for over 2 decades, teamed up with Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District, Anastasia Mosquito Control District, and the University Clinical Research Center in Bamako, to implement integrated vector management as conducted in the USA. In July 2023, eight villages were selected in Ouelessebougou area, randomized between control (4) and intervention (4) for the first pilot study of true IVM in Mali. Adult vector surveillance is conducted monthly with 6 Dynatrap DT160 at fixed locations, spray catch in ten sleeping rooms. ULV treatment is carried out once a week, at midnight, in each intervention village with deltamethrin. Larval surveillance is conducted and larviciding is done in positive breeding sites once a week in the intervention villages with BTi.
We are expecting significantly lower vector density, and lower entomological inoculation rates in intervention versus control arm.