Raymond Baguma and Gerald Kawemba : 5 July 2011
Indoor residual spraying as a strategy to control malaria in Uganda is too costly and has affected the programme countrywide.
According to Dr. Seraphine Adibaku, the head of the Malaria Control Programme, this is why other malaria control strategies such as use of insecticide-treated nets and Artemisinin-based combination therapy are considered to be ahead of indoor residual spraying.
The Government is implementing the indoor residual spraying using pyrethrum-based and carbon-based insecticides in 10 malaria-endemic districts in the northern and eastern regions.
They include Amolatar, Apac, Kitgum, Kumi and Bukedea.
"About three million people in the 10 districts have been covered. We have reached over 90% of the population," Adibaku said.
She added that under the Presidential Malaria Initiative, the budget for indoor residual spraying is sh4.5b per district each year.
Adibaku said it would be much cheaper if the ministry distributed insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
She, however, said indoor spraying has an advantage of delivering immediate impact compared to treated nets.
Adibaku disclosed that the health ministry is re-evaluating the effectiveness of using DDT for malaria control.
Dr. Joaquim Saweka, the World Health Organisation (WHO) resident representative in Uganda, said indoor residual spraying is highly effective and has been successful in Zanzibar and Rwanda.
He, however, added that it is capital intensive and needs a lot of money for each application done twice a year.
Saweka cited his previous posting in Ghana during which a town of 300,000 inhabitants required $3m for spraying each year.
He said with the high cost of spraying and low financial resources available, Uganda needs to prioritise usage of insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
Saweka added that Uganda is on the right path to eradicating malaria with efforts in prevention, diagnosis and treatment as well as universal coverage of insecticide-treated nets.
Health minister Dr. Richard Nduhura yesterday kicked off a nationwide programme to distribute 11,000 bicycles to health volunteers who will diagnose and treat malaria in homes. The programme is supported by the Global Fund.
It is part of the Government's home-based management of malaria, which is part of a larger national strategy to deliver treatment to children within 24 hours after diagnosis
http://allafrica.com/stories/201107061302.html
Showing posts with label pyrethroid.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pyrethroid.. Show all posts
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Monday, 13 September 2010
MALARIA: Nano-treated bednets last five times longer
Pratchaya W.
9 September 2010
Standard bednets last for a year at most before they must be recoated with insecticide
Insecticide-treated bednets that retain their lethal qualities for up to five years may be possible after Thai researchers found a way of "locking in" the chemical they contain using nanotechnology.
The nets contain a nano-scale formulation of pyrethroid, the common insecticide used for bednets, with particles so small that washing does not dislodge them.
Thailand's National Nanotechnology Center (Nanotec) unveiled the nets last month (25 August) at an event at the Thailand Science Park.
Pyrethroid kills mosquiotes when they land on a treated net. It is an integral part of public health campaigns against mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria.
Sirirurg Songsivilai, executive director of Nanotec, told SciDev.Net that, because nanoparticles of pyrethroid are so small, they are incorporated more easily into the net's fibres, making them difficult to wash out.
Standard bednets last for a year at most before they must be recoated with insecticide, according to the Insecticide Research Unit at Thailand's Mahidol University.
A longer-lasting net could help reduce people's costs, as it would not need to be replaced or recoated so frequently, said Narumon Komalamisra, head of the Insecticide Research Unit. However, nano-nets are likely to be more expensive than conventional bednets, which cost around US$7-15 in Thailand.
Songsivilai said Nanotec is now ready to licence the technology. Manufacturers, he said, would test their nets in field conditions before releasing them on to the market. He added that, while no discussions about affordability for the poorest people have taken place, he believes competition between manufacturers will drive prices down.
Songsivilai said that developing this technology has been part of the centre's health and medical research programme, one of the first programmes to be prioritised under the country's nanotechnology strategy.
"The nano-based bednets have shown how sophisticated technology can be adopted to help solve the country's critical health problems," he said, adding that the centre is also willing to share the technology with other developing countries.
Charles Delacolette, coordinator of the WHO-Mekong Malaria Programme, told SciDev.Net he did not yet know whether the new nets met international standards, but that the WHO would be contacting Nanotec.
http://www.scidev.net/en/news/nano-treated-bednets-last-five-times-longer.html
9 September 2010
Standard bednets last for a year at most before they must be recoated with insecticide
Insecticide-treated bednets that retain their lethal qualities for up to five years may be possible after Thai researchers found a way of "locking in" the chemical they contain using nanotechnology.
The nets contain a nano-scale formulation of pyrethroid, the common insecticide used for bednets, with particles so small that washing does not dislodge them.
Thailand's National Nanotechnology Center (Nanotec) unveiled the nets last month (25 August) at an event at the Thailand Science Park.
Pyrethroid kills mosquiotes when they land on a treated net. It is an integral part of public health campaigns against mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria.
Sirirurg Songsivilai, executive director of Nanotec, told SciDev.Net that, because nanoparticles of pyrethroid are so small, they are incorporated more easily into the net's fibres, making them difficult to wash out.
Standard bednets last for a year at most before they must be recoated with insecticide, according to the Insecticide Research Unit at Thailand's Mahidol University.
A longer-lasting net could help reduce people's costs, as it would not need to be replaced or recoated so frequently, said Narumon Komalamisra, head of the Insecticide Research Unit. However, nano-nets are likely to be more expensive than conventional bednets, which cost around US$7-15 in Thailand.
Songsivilai said Nanotec is now ready to licence the technology. Manufacturers, he said, would test their nets in field conditions before releasing them on to the market. He added that, while no discussions about affordability for the poorest people have taken place, he believes competition between manufacturers will drive prices down.
Songsivilai said that developing this technology has been part of the centre's health and medical research programme, one of the first programmes to be prioritised under the country's nanotechnology strategy.
"The nano-based bednets have shown how sophisticated technology can be adopted to help solve the country's critical health problems," he said, adding that the centre is also willing to share the technology with other developing countries.
Charles Delacolette, coordinator of the WHO-Mekong Malaria Programme, told SciDev.Net he did not yet know whether the new nets met international standards, but that the WHO would be contacting Nanotec.
http://www.scidev.net/en/news/nano-treated-bednets-last-five-times-longer.html
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