Trials of solar-powered, active, spatial mosquito control dispensers to reduce Malaria

疟疾是非洲最大的单一杀手，每年有67万人死亡，对孕妇和5岁以下儿童的影响尤为严重。超过95%的死亡和94%的病例发生在撒哈拉以南非洲（SSA）。疟疾频繁发作（每年12，000例/100，000人口）导致的发病率降低了入学率和工作出勤率，使家庭陷入贫困，并降低了GDP增长率，相关的医疗保健费用很高。新冠肺炎疫情后，疟疾在经历了20年的减少后正在上升。我们需要一种新的武器来对抗疟疾。主动空间分配器在有电力的城镇很常见。一个小加热器蒸发一种化学“驱蚊剂”，它可以阻止蚊子，大大减少城市中的疟疾。但70%的撒哈拉以南非洲（SSA）生活在农村地区，没有电力供应，因此任何蚊媒控制系统都被认为必须是公共的或被动的（例如，非洲电力公司提供太阳能家庭（电力）系统，为离网农村地区的电灯、收音机、电视机和缝纫机提供电力。AP与Arctech合作开发了一种极低功耗的主动式空间蚊虫控制分配器，专为SHS使用而设计，仅去年就部署了130万台。此外，还开发了更小、更便宜的电力系统，以帮助那些极端贫困的人（每天不到1.90美元）。伦敦卫生和热带医学学院（**LSHTM**）的临床自由飞行室试验显示，叮咬减少率高达90%，蚊子数量也显著减少。一项涉及150个家庭的小型试验测试了我们的主动分配器，并收集了进行更大规模、完全客观的科学和有效的现场研究所需的数据。这项研究将在两个国家和7，800个家庭进行具有重大意义的现场试验，以确定这些新的疟疾预防设备的临床有效性。研究的反馈将用于从用户和现场角度改进设备，Arctech将对改进后的版本进行重新验证。研究还将确定最佳方案、程序、培训、敏感性和上市途径，以便在区域、国家和整个大陆范围内进行规模部署。目标是获得足够可靠的实验数据，包括确定其成本效益，在非洲推广该系统，并进行一次重大的区域或全国性临床评估，参与者包括各国政府、世界卫生组织（世卫组织）、非政府组织和资助机构。Africa Power是一家离网农村电力解决方案公司，Arctech Innovations（**Arctech**）是LSHTM的一家分拆公司。

Malaria is the single biggest killer in Africa with 670,000 deaths/year, disproportionately affecting pregnant mothers and <5 year-olds. Over 95% of deaths and 94% of cases occur in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Morbidity from frequent bouts of malaria (12,000 cases annually/100,000 population) reduces school and work attendance, trapping families in poverty and reducing GDP growth, with high associated healthcare costs. Post-Covid, malaria is rising after 20-year reductions. We need a new weapon in the fight against malaria.Active spatial dispensers are common in towns and cities where there's power. A small heater vaporises a chemical "repellent", which deters mosquitoes and massively reduces malaria in cities. But 70% of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) live in rural areas, without access to power, so any mosquito vector-control systems are assumed to have to be either communal or passive (e.g., bed nets or repelling strips hanging in eaves).Africa Power (AP) provides Solar Home (Power) Systems (SHS) to provide power for: lights, radios; TVs and sewing-machines to off-grid rural areas. In conjunction with Arctech, AP has developed an extremely low-power, active spatial mosquito control dispenser, designed for use with SHS, of which 1.3 million units were deployed last year alone. Smaller less expensive power systems have also been developed to reach those in extreme poverty (under $1.90/day).Clinical free-flight room trials at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (**LSHTM**) showed a very high \>90% reduction in bites and a significant knockdown of mosquitoes. A small trial involving 150 families has tested our active dispenser and gathered the data needed to run a much-larger, fully-objective scientific and statistically-valid field-study.This study will undertake a statistically-significant field-trial over two countries and 7,800 households to determine the clinical effectiveness of these new malaria prophylactic devices. Feedback from the study will be used to improve the units from a user and field perspective and improved versions will be re-validated by Arctech.The study will also determine the best protocols, procedures, training, sensitisation, and routes-to-market to scale deployment regionally, nationally, and then continent-wide.The objective is to have sufficiently sound experimental data, including a determination of its cost-effectiveness, to roll out the systems in Africa and undertake a major regional or nationwide clinical assessment, involving governments; World Health Organisation (WHO); NGO's and funding bodies..Africa Power is an off-grid rural power solutions company & Arctech Innovations (**Arctech**) is a spin-out company of LSHTM.