Malaria Infections and Infestations
Conditions
Interventions
All study houses will be provided with a sufficient number of LLINs to be able to cover all sleeping places and we will follow national guidelines to encourage their correct use as this is the current
Sponsors
Durham University (UK)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Houses must meet the following criteria to be selected: 1. Thatched roofs 2. Intact walls (no cracks) 3. Be single-storey square buildings 4. Open eaves 5. No more than four rooms 6. No ceiling (which is equivalent to closed eaves) 7. No screening 8. At least two resident children aged six months to 13 years old (needed in case the study child leaves the study) Children must be: 1. Aged 6 months to 13 years old 2. Resident in houses enrolled in the study 3. Whose parents/carers give written, informed consent for their child to be included in the study Assent will also be sought from eligible children >11 years old after the purpose of the study and what is required has been explained to them according to their capability. In the case of school-age children, only those who live in their village during term-time will be eligible for enrolment. In order for the results from this study to be as generalizable as possible, no distinctions will be made in terms of medical condition or physical health.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Children for whom informed consent is not or cannot be provided 2. Children aged under 6 months or over 13 years on 1st June for the year of survey 3. Children expected to be non-residence during several month of the transmission season
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| To assess whether improved housing reduces the burden of clinical malaria where coverage of LLINs is high. Incidence of clinical malaria determined by active case detection (ACD) and defined as body (axillary) temperature of =37.5oC, together with the presence of Plasmodium falciparum parasites detected by microscopy. Incidence will be measured from June to December in 2015 and 2016. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. To determine whether improved housing reduces the rate of parasite infection, parasite density and anaemia in children. Prevalence of malaria infection, splenomegaly and anaemia determined by cross-sectional surveys at the beginning (June) and end of each rainy season (November /December) in 2015 and 2016. The presence of malaria parasites will be determined by microscopy, the presence of an enlarged spleen by palpation and anaemia quantified by measuring haemoglobin using a HemoCue. 2. To find out whether improved housing is associated with a rise in respiratory infections. Measure cough and either a respiratory rate of above the age specific cut-off or chest indrawing during twice weekly visits from June to December in 2015 and 2016. 3. To assess whether improved housing reduces vector density inside houses when compared with LLIN alone. Mean number of female Anopheles gambiae s.l./light trap/night. Estimated entomological inoculation rate (EIR) in each study arm (i.e. mean number of sporozoite infective bites/child/season) from June to December in 2015 and 2016. Collections will be made indoors using CDC light traps and the presence of vectors with sporozoites determined using an ELISA. 4. To determine whether improved housing is acceptable to the residents and sufficiently durable 5. To find out whether these interventions are cost effective 6. To develop a strategy for potential scale-up of improved housing | — |
Countries
Gambia
Outcome results
None listed