Impact of mosquito-proofing houses upon mosquito entry as well as investment and motivation by householders

Abstract

The quality of housing has been shown to influence malaria transmission, which in most African settings, takes place at home with around 80% occurring indoors. Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes are usually nocturnal, endophilic and endophagic and therefore seek entry to dwellings occupied by humans at night. The experiments conducted using local huts and specially designed experimental huts in Lupiro village in southern Tanzania, evaluated the benefit of each entry point (eaves, windows and doors) in terms of reduced indoor densities of mosquitoes. Cross-sectional household surveys were conducted in Dar es Salaam to estimate usage levels of available options for house proofing, namely window screens,