CGPH FACULTY: Brenda Eskenazi
DATE OF PUBLICATION: April 2014
REGION: Africa
REFERENCE: Eskenazi B, Quirós-Alcalá L, Lipsitt JM, Wu LD, Kruger P, Ntimbane T, Nawn JB, Bornman MS, Seto E. mSpray: A mobile phone technology to improve malaria control efforts and monitor human exposure to malaria control pesticides in Limpopo, South Africa. Environ Int. 2014 Apr 23;68C:219-226. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2014.03.003.
SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Recent estimates indicate that malaria has led to over half a million deaths worldwide, mostly to African children. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticides is one of the primary vector control interventions. However, current reporting systems do not obtain precise location of IRS events in relation to malaria cases, which poses challenges for effective and efficient malaria control. This information is also critical to avoid unnecessary human exposure to IRS insecticides. We developed and piloted a mobile-based application (mSpray) to collect comprehensive information on IRS spray events. We assessed the utility, acceptability and feasibility of using mSpray to gather improved homestead- and chemical-level IRS coverage data. We installed mSpray on 10 cell phones with data bundles, and pilot tested it with 13 users in Limpopo, South Africa. Use of cell phone technology could increase the efficiency of IRS malaria control efforts by mapping spray events in relation to malaria cases, resulting in more judicious use of chemicals that are potentially harmful to humans and the environment.
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