The sampling efficiency of light trap catches relative to human bait catches in estimating biting rates of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae Giles was investigated in two types of community in southern Sierra Leone: (i) where most of the inhabitants slept under treated bed nets; and (ii) where most of the inhabitants slept without bed nets. The number of female A. gambiae mosquitoes caught in thes...

BACKGROUND Malaria is an important cause of illness and death in many parts of the world, especially in Africa. There has been a renewed emphasis on preventive measures, both at community and at individual level. Insecticide treated bednets and curtains are a promising preventive measure. OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to assess the effects of insecticide-treated bednets or curta...

The median effective dose of permethrin for knockdown and mortality of Anopheles farauti s. s. exposed to 2 net and 2 cloth fabrics was estimated. There were no significant differences in the knockdown or mortality of An. farauti or Aedes aegypti following 15-180-sec exposure to permethrin-treated bed nets and polyester/cotton fabric. Despite the presence of permethrin (0.007-0.068 mg/cm2) in b...

The use of pyrethroids to impregnate mosquito nets has had a good impact on the incidence of morbidity and mortality from malaria. These nets are therefore likely to be used on a large scale as an important strategy of malaria control in the future. Published information on the cost and effectiveness of mosquito nets is presented and analysed. In two examples, from Malawi and Cameroon, the per ...

Deltamethrin-impregnated PVC dog collars were tested to assess if they were effective in protecting dogs from sand fly bites of Lutzomyia longipalpis and Lu. migonei. A protective effect against Old World species Phlebotomus perniciosus was demonstrated before. Four dogs wearing deltamethrin collars and three dogs wearing untreated collars (not impregnated with deltamethrin) were kept in separa...

The effect of insecticide-treated materials on reducing visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is disputable. In Bangladesh, we evaluated the effect of a community-based intervention with insecticide impregnation of existing bed-nets in reducing VL incidence. This intervention reduced VL by 66.5%. Widespread bed-net impregnation with slow-release insecticide may control VL in Bangladesh.

Dear Editor, We compliment Tipayamongkholgul and Lisakulruk for their spatial regression analysis of different local socio-geographic predictors of dengue infection in the Thai province of Prachuap Khiri Kan, published in Geospatial Health, issue 5.2 (2011). However, for such a comprehensive analysis, we feel that it is essential that full details about the local vectors and the casual and form...

The cost of permethrin-treated bednets (50% EC; 0.2 g/m2, 2 rounds per year) was compared to the cost of residual spraying with lambdacyhalothrin 10% WP (0.03 g/m2, once yearly) in Hoa Binh, a mountainous province in northern Vietnam. Calculations of the amounts of insecticides needed were based on national guidelines, on data from a cross-sectional survey and on district activity reports. The ...