Left to right: Nick Athembo, Ben Abong'o, Leah Dodge, Jeanne Gazel, Rob McCann, Mona Nizad, and Sam Corden.

Here is a discussion on the Malaria World web site about the relative merits of home screening:

Why screening

--Cliff

A few weeks after the house screening trial, I did a brief visit to see the condition of the screened houses. I was very exited to find the screen in very good shape as though with a promise to stay forever. Apart from this, the testimonies from the residents got me more enthusiastic to get the actual work started. I can't just wait to see this rolled out. The residents have actually  note a remarkable reduction in mosquito densities in their houses after screening. 

Now, having been in a position to collect mosquitoes from houses over time for other studies, such a report from the residents of the screened houses is an exiting one. I have witnessed many cases when I go to a village and explain to the residents my intention of collecting mosquitoes from their houses for certain studies. The fist impression I usually receive from some individuals is one of a surprise. Such individuals are first unsure if there are mosquitoes in their houses, leave a lone the greater surprise question they always ask of 'how are you going to catch them?' You can't imagine the kind of surprise that usually strike these residents after I catch mosquitoes in their houses and show to them how many of those little creatures they share with habitation. However, the surprise is more often mingled with joy and a sigh of relief  as though to say, 'the enemy is taken away forever.' You only wish that no more mosquitoes would enter those houses again. But never! Therefore, such a knowledge the presence and much more of a remarkable reduction in mosquito numbers following implementation of an intervention is quite something. 

Apart from all these, some thing else almost made me jump with joy. It was the sight of an Anopheles mosquito resting on the eave screen from outside the house. Clearly that vector had been restrained on its route into the house for a blood meal. This what we all look forward to, that we may reduce if possible to zero all chances of human vector interaction especially in the house which is the principal point of this interaction. I see and hear already tokens of great achievements in malaria control with installation of eave screen. 

Lets go for it, support this idea and do all in our powers get this work done. I am convinced, improved housing will take us beyond where the bed-nets have brought us in malaria control, given the challenges of  lack daily compliance to bed net use, universal coverage and the dreaded insecticide resistance Anopheles mosquitoes.

Ben

Mona drilling.

This is the first of a series of photos. The actual project has not yet begun, however, with a few volunteers, a group practiced applying screens to eaves on several homes.