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

疟疾是非洲最大的单一杀手，每年造成67万人死亡，对孕妇和5岁以下儿童的影响尤为严重。95%以上的死亡和94%的病例发生在撒哈拉以南非洲。疟疾频繁发作导致的发病率（每年每10万人中有12 000例）降低了上学和上班的出勤率，使家庭陷入贫困，降低了国内生产总值的增长，并带来了高昂的医疗费用。在经历了20年的减少之后，covid - 19后疟疾又在上升。我们需要一种抗击疟疾的新武器。主动空间分配器在有电的城镇很常见。一个小加热器蒸发一种化学“驱虫剂”，这种驱虫剂可以阻止蚊子，并大大减少城市中的疟疾。但撒哈拉以南非洲70%的人口生活在农村地区，没有电力供应，因此任何蚊媒控制系统都被认为要么是公共的，要么是被动的（例如，蚊帐或屋檐上挂的驱蚊条）。非洲电力公司（AP）提供太阳能家庭（电力）系统（SHS），为照明、收音机提供电力；向离网农村地区提供电视和缝纫机。AP与Arctech合作开发了一种极低功耗的主动空间蚊虫控制分配器，专为SHS设计，仅去年就部署了130万台。还开发了更小、更便宜的电力系统，以满足极端贫困（每天1.90美元以下）的需求。伦敦卫生和热带医学学院（LSHTM）的临床自由飞行室试验表明，叮咬率降低了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、科学且统计有效的实地研究所需的数据。这项研究将在两个国家和7800个家庭进行具有统计意义的实地试验，以确定这些新的疟疾预防装置的临床有效性。来自研究的反馈将用于从用户和现场的角度改进设备，改进后的版本将由Arctech重新验证。该研究还将确定最佳协议、程序、培训、敏感性和市场路线，以便在区域、国家乃至整个大陆范围内进行大规模部署。目标是获得足够可靠的实验数据，包括确定其成本效益，以便在非洲推广这些系统，并在各国政府参与下进行重大的区域或全国临床评估；世界卫生组织（卫生组织）；非洲电力是一家离网农村电力解决方案公司，而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.