Mali pilots ‘insectary-in-a-box’

December 13, 2012

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Top view of the insectary-in-a-box, which was created from a shipping container. Credit: Elie Bankineza.

In March 2012, three months before the AIRS project had planned to begin annual indoor residual spraying (IRS)—an intervention that protects millions of people from malaria—Malian soldiers overthrew the central government. As a result of the coup, AIRS had to carry out IRS work independent of their previously established government partners including entomological monitoring, a crucial activity that assesses if insecticide kills malaria transmitting mosquitoes. AIRS had less than one month to build an insectary where they could rear mosquitoes and test insecticide in time for the IRS campaign. The team developed an innovative solution to this predicament—they converted a 40 foot x 8 foot shipping container into the first ever insectary-in-a-box.

This mini, mobile insectary was placed in the AIRS compound in Bamako. The container was purchased locally and converted into an insectary for less than US$20,000. It was operational in a mere three weeks. By creating the insectary-in-a-box, AIRS did not have to construct or renovate a building, a process which can be costly, time consuming, and bureaucratic.

The insectary is divided into three rooms: one for keeping adult mosquitoes, one for rearing mosquitoes from larvae, and one for completing morphological identification, dissection, and susceptibility testing. (See figure below.) The insectary is outfitted with air conditioners and humidifiers to keep adult mosquitoes at optimum conditions.

“I personally visited the insectary and I was very impressed with the division of the rooms. I was also impressed to find a Malian entomologist who really had the know-how and who has backup from the AIRS headquarters staff,” said Jules Mihigo, resident advisor for President’s Malaria Initiative. To ensure that mosquitoes do not escape when entomologists are coming and going, Mr. Mihigo had the idea to add double doors to the insectary entrance.

To test the insecticide, AIRS Mali entomologists collected mosquito larvae from sites that were slated for IRS and brought them to the insectary-in-a-box. The team exposed mosquitoes to bendiocarb insecticide and found the average mortality rate for the mosquitoes was approximately 97 percent. This data helped program managers to confirm that bendiocarb insecticide was effective at killing vector mosquitoes. Entomologists may also take mosquitoes reared in the insectary to field sites to complete further testing.

“The AIRS insectary and the entomological monitoring work allowed the team to make critical decisions and in a timely manner to improve the quality of IRS in Mali,” said AIRS Mali entomology coordinator Moussa Cissé, who helped develop the insectary.

Entomologist inside the insectary-in-a-box. Credit: AIRS.

While the insectary-in-a-box was originally developed in response to a crisis, the insectary can be used for several years. “Months after its establishment, a good density of mosquitoes are reared and maintained in the insectary, which means this is an optimum environment for rearing mosquitoes,” said Dereje Dengela, AIRS technical director. Since the insectary in-a-box is mobile, it could be lifted and relocated so that another project or organization could sustain the insectary after the AIRS project ends.

IRS implementers from other countries are already buzzing about recreating the insectary in-a-box model, which was recently presented at the American Society for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “I discussed the Mali experience with many national malaria control program directors and many are ready to follow it,” said Mr. Mihigo. “For the country which does not have an insectary, I strongly recommend the insectary in-a-box so that they can have a place where they can perform entomological monitoring.” The AIRS team is considering developing similar insectaries in Angola and Liberia in 2013.

Thanks to their creative thinking, the AIRS team developed a quick, cost-effective solution to carry out entomological monitoring that improves the quality of IRS. During the IRS campaign, which ran from July 23 to September 6, AIRS sprayed 206,295 structures with insecticide (99 percent of the target) and protected 762,146 people from malaria, including 18,561 pregnant women and 145,953 children under five.

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Tags: entomological monitoring, insectary, Mali

ECOWAS, PARTNERS TAKE BOLD STEP TO ELIMINATE MALARIA

ECOWAS, PARTNERS TAKE BOLD STEP TO ELIMINATE MALARIA

ABUJA, Nigeria, April 15, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — ECOWAS and its partners have achieved another milestone in their stride towards the elimination of malaria in the region with the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a biolarvicides factory in Port Harcourt, capital of Nigeria’s south eastern Rivers State.

The President of the ECOWAS Commission His Excellency Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo and Nigeria’s Minister of Health Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, who represented President His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, unveiled the plaque at a well-attended ceremony on Thursday 11th April 2013.

The Nigerian factory is one of the three being built in three ECOWAS Member States under a Tripartite Agreement between ECOWAS, Cuba and Venezuela for the production of boilarvicides, a safe substance that kills the larvae of malaria vectors, mosquitoes. The two other factories are earmarked for Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana under the campaign which seeks to eliminate malaria in the region by 2015.

Under the campaign, ECOWAS seeks to strengthen the vector control component of the intervention to rid West Africa of malaria, which is a major public health problem that also stunts the economic development of the region and Africa as a whole.

The ground breaking ceremony was preceded by a Town Hall Meeting at the packed 5,000-capacity Diete Spiff Civic Centre, Port Harcourt, where representatives of civil society organizations, religious and traditional rulers, women and youth groups and ECOWAS Commission officials, among others, discussed the ramifications of malaria vector control intervention, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has acknowledged as the only strategy that can reduce malaria transmission from high level to zero.

During the session, a panel of experts headed by Dr. Chioma Amajoh, the immediate past National Coordinator of Nigeria’s Malaria Control Programme, fielded questions from the audience. Dr. Amajoh, nicknamed “Mama Malaria” for her sustained anti-malaria efforts, underscored the need for all stakeholders – governments, Non-governmental organizations, the private sector and the citizens to play their role to make the regional campaign a huge success.

Addressing the gathering, President Ouédraogo reaffirmed ECOWAS’ commitment and determination to eliminate the malaria scourge so as to free resources for the economic development and to enable the region attain its full potentials.

The Organization’s major priorities of peace and security coupled with economic development cannot be achieved unless such threats as malaria are effectively addressed, he added.

The president commended development partners especially the governments of Cuba and Venezuela for supporting the ECOWAS campaign, noting that all hands should be on deck until the war against malaria is won. He also expressed confidence in the prospect of achieving the 2015 date for malaria elimination, while expressing the Commission’s appreciation to the government and people of Rivers State and especially Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, one of Nigeria’s two Malaria Ambassadors for partnering with ECOWAS on the anti-malaria initiative.

In an address on behalf of President Jonathan, Health Minister Prof. Chukwu thanked ECOWAS leaders for initiating the Campaign with the two Latin American countries providing both financial and technology transfer support.

He listed the Federal Government’s various malaria initiatives and highlighted the need to strengthen indoor residual spraying of mosquitoes as well as environmental sanitation through the reintroduction of sanitary health inspectors in the country.

Governor Chibuike reaffirmed Rivers State’s total support to the regional campaign and promised that the government would do all that is required to ensure that the state maintained its lead in the national malaria elimination campaign.

Speaking in the same vein, the State Commissioner for Health Dr. Tamunoiyoriari Sampson Parker described the ceremony as “a paradigm shift and historic event for us as it marks the build up of efforts to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and eventual target of zero-incidence in locally contracted malaria”

There were also goodwill messages from the WHO and Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, represented by Dr. Uzor Chima, who expressed the hope that the proposed involvement of military personnel would provide the regional campaign with the discipline and precision needed for its successful prosecution.

Dr. Adhiambo Odaga, Managing Director of Dangote Foundation, who represented business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, another Malaria Ambassador and head of the Dangote Group, pledged the Group’s support to the regional anti-malaria initiative and stressed the need for public-private sector collaboration.

The Cuban envoy to Nigeria, Ambassador Milanes Ramos Hugo, who attended the two events with his wife, reiterated his country’s total commitment and support to the ECOWAS campaign as a demonstration of South-South cooperation.

In his vote of thanks, the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Toga Gayewea McIntosh thanked the partner countries, the Rivers State Government, the Local Organizing Committee and Governor Amaechi in particular, for lending their full support to the ECOWAS campaign, which is in furtherance of the ECOWAS of people agenda and the goal of regional development and integration.

The ECOWAS Heath Adviser, Dr. Mariane Ngoulla appealed to all stakeholders to be effective in their roles, adding that instead of being “mosquito farmers” necessary measures should be taken to stop the indiscriminate breeding of the malaria vector.

The ECOWAS delegation to the twin-event included Mr. Sunny Ugoh, the Director of Communication and Dr. Johnson Buanuh, Director of Environment, who explained that studies by the Commission have shown that the biolarvicides for the campaign are safe. The Private Sector Director, Mr. Alfred Braimah, also explained that apart from producing the substance for malaria elimination, the three factories will also create jobs in the region.

SOURCE 

Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS)

Top 10 malaria innovations

Last week we asked readers to send in the best innovations
 they had seen that help eliminate malaria. Here are the top 10

• Anna Scott
• Guardian Professional, Monday 29 April 2013 19.21 BST
• Jump to comments (8)

Which innovations show the most promise in eradicating malaria? Photograph: Pa

1. Nanomal DNA analyser

Cutting-edge nanotechnology is being used to develop an affordable, easy to use startphone-like device able to analyse malaria strain DNA from a finger-prick of blood in 15 minutes. This enables a personalised prescription of drug combinations to be given to patients straight away. The Nanomal consortium, led by St George's University of London and biotech company QuantuMDx, developed the device in response to World Health Organisation warnings of the growth of drug resistance due to inaccurate drug prescription. The device will be ready for field testing later this year.

Sent via Twitter from QuantuMDx, @QuantuMDx

2. Light sensor testing app

Code 8, a group of students from Makerere University, have developed a new needleless malaria testing application. The application, named Matibabu, uses a light sensor connected to a tablet that is passed over a finger to diagnose malaria. The idea has won the Ugandan team a place at the 2013 Microsoft Imagine Cup finals to be held in Russia later this year.

Editor's pick

3. Mobile diagnostic device

Molecular diagnostic company Amplino has developed a diagnostic device and business model so that those in need of tests are monetarily incentivised to buy them. This is aimed at ensuring early diagnosis, so patients are treated quickly and avoid over-use of medicines. The device is reusable and comes with a consumable cartridge. It is also connected to the cloud, so researchers and governments can monitor how the disease spreads.

Sent via Twitter from Amplino, @Amplino

4. CreeLog mosquito formula

CreeLog mosquito formula can kill mosquito larvae before they reach adulthood. Developed by Cree Industries, the formula can be embedded into 1 kilogram extruded logs, that are wrapped in water soluble bags to allow for storage and then dropped by helicopter into water reserves. The log dissolves over 15 days, releasing the ingredients slowly.

Sent via email from John Olsen, president of Cree Industries

5. Open source drug discovery for malaria

Experts at the Todd lab at the University of Sydney are looking for effective molecules for malaria treatment. Like many medicinal chemistry methods, this involves a lot of generating and evaluating molecules. The difference with this project is that all the results are published online in real time, including the ones that don't turn out well. This open source drug discovery concept allows people to offer guidance and input along the way, and help to guide and learn from the project's results.

Sent via Twitter from the Open Source Drug Discovery Projects for Malaria, @OSDDMalaria

6. Investment in community health workers

Findings of a recent review of different approaches that deliver malaria treatment in developing countries showed that investing in and training community health workers in badly affected areas is highly effective. When compared with providers from the public sector and the formal and informal private sectors, community health workers proved to be the most effective agents based on 6 different parameters (from diagnosis to impact on mortality). The study concludes that the role of community health workers should be better recognised and expanded in malaria treatment initiatives.

Sent via Twitter from Oxfam press officer Sarah Dransfield,@SarahOxfam

7. Anti-malaria soap

Two African students have created a malaria-repellant soap using karate citronella and other herbs. Moctar Dembélé and Gérard Niyondiko, studying at the Intsitut International de l'Eau et de l'Envirronement de Ouagadougou (International Institute of Water and Environment) developed 'faso soap' as a low cost anti-malaria tool. "We want a simple solution, because every one uses soaps, even in the very poor communities", Dembélé said. Their idea won the pair a US$25,000Global Social Venture competition award to help develop their business.

Editor's pick

8. Insectary in a box

The Africa Indoor Residual Spraying Programme (Airs) have built an 'insectary in a box', using a 40 foot x 8 foot shipping container. Airs had planned an indoor residual spraying intervention in Mali, but when Malian soldiers overthrew the central government, Airs had to carry out their work independently of established government partners. They therefore built a mini, mobile insectary at the Airs compound in Bamako. The container was purchased locally and converted into an insectary for less than US$20,000, proving a cost-effective solution to carrying out entomological monitoring and improving the quality of indoor residual spraying.

Sent via Twitter from Abt Associates, @abtassociates

9. Resistance management

Insecticides have played a significant part in global malaria control. But insecticide resistance now challenges the gains made by treated bed nets and indoor residual spraying over the past 10 years. The Innovative Vector Control Consortium are teaming up with agrochemical companies and using new active ingredients to target insect vectors, to help develop the next generation of insecticides to defeat malaria.

Sent via email from Jed Stone, head of access and advocacy at theInnovative Vector Control Consortium

10. Anti-malaria tea

Can a herbal tea help prevent malaria? Many communities in Asia and Africa drink tea made from a Chinese sweet wormwood plant named Artemisia to help stave off malaria, and there is notable evidence to suggest it works. The plant is a source for the world's most powerful anti-malaria treatments, which combine artemisinin derivatives with other drugs. A randomised control trial in a Ugandan community (pdf) last year found that the tea, when consumed once a week, was effective in preventing multiple episodes of malaria in humans living in malaria endemic areas. However, its bitter taste and the risk of development of malaria parasite resistance to the artemisinin contained in it remain major challenges for its use in the mass control of malaria.