Evaluation of Insecticide Treated Nets and Wall Liners for the Prevention of Malaria

Insecticide treated nets (ITNs) have been shown to reduce malaria related morbidity and mortality and are increasingly being scaled up throughout sub-Saharan Africa. However, ITNs alone are unlikely to reduce transmission to zero in most settings and additional vector control tools are necessary. One new promising strategy is the use of insecticide treated wall liners (ITWLs). These are textiles treated with an insecticide that are used to line the inner walls of houses. The wall liners are considered a long-lasting alternative to indoor residual spraying which is also used for malaria vector control but is expensive to implement.

Within 6 pairs of villages, we plan to randomly allocate one village in each pair to receive either ITNs or ITNs plus ITWLs. Households will be randomly selected from each village and all children between the ages of 6 months and 11 years will be enrolled in a cohort study. The children will be cleared of existing infections and then followed monthly until they are found to be infected with malaria. The study will last for 6 months and will demonstrate whether the ITWLs provide additional protection against malaria over that provided by the use of ITNs.

Inclusion criteria

• Age 6 months up to 11 years
• Living in the study area and remaining in the study area for the duration of the study
• Informed consent provided by parents

Exclusion criteria

• No informed consent
• Living outside the study area, or likely to move outside study area
• Severely ill and unlikely to be able to complete study