The Unsustainability of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen M. Santos ◽  
Tatyana M. Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Malaria Prevention ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Bed Nets ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Current Form ◽  
Production Distribution ◽  
Sustainable Materials ◽  
Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets

Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) are highly effective tools for malaria prevention, and it is clear bed nets are necessary. However, given the environmental concerns of the production, distribution, and disposal of LLINs, the malaria prevention community should look to design sturdier nets that last longer and are made of more sustainable materials to reduce harmful environmental impacts in a time when addressing climate change is urgent. We discuss concerns related to plastic pollution and the environmental health of LLINs in their current form, while recognizing the absolute importance of bed nets for malaria prevention. We call for conversation and innovation among all those involved in malaria prevention to address the unsustainability of LLINs and to maximize the resources available for malaria prevention in a climate of competing global health priorities.

Malaria Prevention and Mothers: Sudan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousif Elmosaad ◽  
Ahmed Al Rajeh ◽  
Asif khan ◽  
Elfatih Malik ◽  
Ilias Mahmud
Keyword(s):  
Formal Education ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Malaria Prevention ◽  
Good Knowledge ◽  
Bed Nets ◽  
Cluster Sampling ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Positive Attitudes

This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) in malaria prevention using insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) among mothers of children under five years of age in White Nile State, Sudan. Multistage cluster sampling was used to select 761 mothers for this cross-sectional survey. There were gaps in the KAP in malaria prevention. Only 46.3% of the mothers stated personal protective measures (PPMs) as the best malaria prevention strategy; 54.9% considered ITNs as an effective means; and only 18.7% reported sleeping under an ITN every day. Older mothers were less likely to have good knowledge (OR=0.96), attitudes (OR=0.98) and practices (OR=0.98). Having a Government employee as the head of the household was positively associated with knowledge (OR=2.16) and attitudes (OR=1.96). The mother having a formal education was also positively associated with good knowledge (OR=1.55) and positive attitudes (OR=1.69). Mothers with a monthly household income of <491 Sudanese Pound were more likely to have good knowledge (OR=1.43). Mothers who had good knowledge (OR=4.99) and positive attitudes towards PPMs (OR=2.60) in malaria prevention were found to be more likely to practice preventive measures. Therefore, we recommend focusing on raising mothers’ awareness of the different preventive activities to protect them and their family from malaria.

The Historiography of Environmental History

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. McNeill
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental History ◽  
Industrial Pollution ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter discusses the emergence of environmental history, which developed in the context of the environmental concerns that began in the 1960s with worries about local industrial pollution, but which has since evolved into a full-scale global crisis of climate change. Environmental history is ‘the history of the relationship between human societies and the rest of nature’. It includes three chief areas of inquiry: the study of material environmental history, political and policy-related environmental history, and a form of environmental history which concerns what humans have thought, believed, written, and more rarely, painted, sculpted, sung, or danced that deals with the relationship between society and nature. Since 1980, environmental history has come to flourish in many corners of the world, and scholars everywhere have found models, approaches, and perspectives rather different from those developed for the US context.

scholarly journals Integrity, use and care of long-lasting insecticidal nets in Kirinyaga County, Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Nyangi ◽  
Elizabeth Kigondu ◽  
Beatrice Irungu ◽  
Margaret Nganga ◽  
Anthony Gachanja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Examination ◽  
Vector Control ◽  
Malaria Vector ◽  
Standard Procedure ◽  
Bed Nets ◽  
Malaria Vector Control ◽  
Systematic Sampling ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Household Heads ◽  
Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets

Abstract Background Vector control is an essential component in prevention and control of malaria in malaria endemic areas. Insecticide treated nets is one of the standard tools recommended for malaria vector control. The objective of the study was to determine physical integrity and insecticidal potency of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) used in control of malaria vector in Kirinyaga County, Kenya. Method The study targeted households in an area which had received LLINs during mass net distribution in 2016 from Ministry of Health. A total of 420 households were sampled using systematic sampling method, where the household heads consented to participate in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to assess care and use while physical examination was used to determine integrity. Chemical concentration was determined by gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19. Results After 18 months of use, 96.9% (95% CI: 95.2–98.6%) of the distributed nets were still available. Regarding net utilization, 94.1% of household heads reported sleeping under an LLIN the previous night. After physical examination, 49.9% (95% CI: 43–52.8%) of the bed nets had at least one hole. The median number of holes of any size was 2[interquartile range (IQR) 1–4], and most holes were located on the lower part of the nets, [median 3 (IQR 2–5)]. Only 15% of the nets with holes had been repaired. The median concentration for α-cypermethrin was 7.15 mg/m2 (IQR 4.25–15.31) and 0.00 mg/g (IQR 0.00–1.99) for permethrin. Based on pHI, Chi-square test varied significantly with the manufacturer (X (6, N = 389) = 29.14, p = 0.04). There was no significant difference between nets with different number of washes (X2(2) = 4.55, p = 0.103). Conclusion More than three-quarters of the nets supplied had survived and insecticidal potency was adequate in vector control. Standard procedure for field evaluation of surface insecticidal content available to a mosquito after landing on a net to rest is recommended.

scholarly journals Cross-Study of Malaria Prevalence in History, Bed Net Utilization, and Knowledge about the Disease among Tanzanian College Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Yakobo Nyahoga ◽  
Zanda Bochkaeva
Keyword(s):  
Malaria Prevention ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Malaria Prevalence ◽  
Bed Nets ◽  
Bed Net ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Two Factors

University campuses are potential reservoirs of infectious diseases, but they are not in the research focus. It is obvious that the use of malaria preventive tools is extremely necessary in campus conditions in endemic countries. This study is the first malaria survey, conducted in a student campus in Tanzania. This cross-sectional study uncovered a surprisingly high prevalence of malaria history among students: 89,4% of 246 random respondents assume that they had malaria in history, among whom 145 (58,9%) suffered from the disease during the last year. And although students are relatively confident about the vector, parasite, and prevention measures of the disease, only 44,7% of the students use bed nets and 4,5% use a body spray or ointment daily. The others seldom use spray or ointment or do not care about the problem at all. This situation was found to be associated with two factors, financial and educational. Current results show that students are relatively educated on malaria, but they do not follow the malaria prevention guidance. It has become clear that at least proper informational propaganda of bed net use is required in Tanzanian university campuses.

Plastic ingestion as an evolutionary trap: Toward a holistic understanding

Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 373 (6550) ◽  
pp. 56-60
Author(s):  
Robson G. Santos ◽  
Gabriel E. Machovsky-Capuska ◽  
Ryan Andrades
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Fundamental Question ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Predominant Role ◽  
Acceptance Threshold ◽  
Evolutionary Trap ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
Main Factors ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Natural Foods

Human activities are changing our environment. Along with climate change and a widespread loss of biodiversity, plastic pollution now plays a predominant role in altering ecosystems globally. Here, we review the occurrence of plastic ingestion by wildlife through evolutionary and ecological lenses and address the fundamental question of why living organisms ingest plastic. We unify evolutionary, ecological, and cognitive approaches under the evolutionary trap theory and identify three main factors that may drive plastic ingestion: (i) the availability of plastics in the environment, (ii) an individual’s acceptance threshold, and (iii) the overlap of cues given by natural foods and plastics.

scholarly journals Mitigation/Adaptation and Health: Health Policymaking in the Global Response to Climate Change and Implications for other Upstream Determinants

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 629-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay F. Wiley
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
International Health ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
World Health ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
The Face ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
United Nations System ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Development Objectives

In coming decades, enhanced global health governance will be crucial to achieving international health and development objectives in the face of a number of challenges; this article focuses on one of them. Climate change, which is now widely recognized as the defining challenge of the 21st century, will make the work of ensuring the conditions in which people can be healthy more difficult in a myriad of ways. Scientists from both the health and climate communities have been highlighting the significant interaction between climate and health for decades and have made significant strides in integrating health and environmental research. Those of us in the law and policy community have been a bit slow to catch up, and have only just begun to call for better integration of our responses to health and environmental concerns. Environmental health specialists at the World Health Organization have recently pointed to a mandate for better integration of health and environmental concerns within the United Nations system. The Millennium Development Goals interweave health, environmental, and development concerns.

scholarly journals Integrity, Use and Care of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets in Kirinyaga County, Kenya

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Wanjiku Nyangi ◽  
Elizabeth Mumbi Kigondu ◽  
Beatrice Irungu ◽  
Margaret Nganga ◽  
Anthony Gachanja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Examination ◽  
Vector Control ◽  
Malaria Vector ◽  
Bed Nets ◽  
Malaria Vector Control ◽  
Systematic Sampling ◽  
Previous Night ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Household Heads ◽  
Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets

Abstract Background: Vector control is an essential component in prevention and control of malaria in malaria endemic areas. Insecticide treated nets is one of the standard tools recommended for malaria vector control. The objective of the study was to determine physical integrity and insecticidal potency of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) used in control of malaria vector in Kirinyaga County, Kenya.Method: The study targeted households in an area which had received LLINs during mass net distribution in 2016 from Ministry of Health. A total of 420 households were sampled using systematic sampling method, where the household heads consented to participate in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to assess care and use while physical examination was used to determine integrity. Chemical potency was determined by gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19. Results: After eighteen months of use, 96.9% (95% CI: 95.2% – 98.6%) of the distributed nets were still available. Regarding the net utilization, 94.1% of household heads reported sleeping under an LLIN the previous night. After physical examination, 49.9% (95% CI: 43% - 52.8%) of the bed nets had at least one hole. The median number of holes of any size was 2[interquartile range (IQR) 1-4], and most holes were located on the lower part of the nets, [median 3 (IQR 2-5)]. Only 15% of the nets with holes had been repaired. The median concentration for alpha-cypermethrin was 7.15mg/m2 (IQR 4.25-15.31) and 0.00mg/g (IQR 0.00-1.99) for permethrin. Based on pHI, Chi-square test varied significantly with the manufacturer (X (6, N=389) = 29.14, p = 0.04). There was no significant difference between nets with different number of washes (X2(2) = 4.55, p = 0.103).Conclusion: More than three-quarters of the nets supplied had survived and insecticidal potency was adequate in vector control. 14.2% of the nets were too torn and required immediate replacement. Studies for validated field evaluation of surface insecticidal content available to a mosquito after landing on a net to rest should be developed.

scholarly journals Out of the Depths: Engineering, Submersibles and Assemblages

2015 ◽  
pp. 35-42
Author(s):  
John Reader
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
The State ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Limited Capacity ◽  
Assemblage Theory ◽  
Direct Relevance ◽  
Human Autonomy ◽  
Human World ◽  
Engineering Practices

Environmental concerns about the state of the world’s oceans have been growing over recent years, particularly as acidification, overfishing and the limited capacity of the oceans to absorb CO2 from climate change have come to the fore. Engineering practices and innovations in a number of forms are of direct relevance to this, notably through a concern to develop engineering in such a way as to be for the benefit of all, including the non-human world. This article argues that assemblage theory offers an alternative way of understanding how culture is always already a part of nature, and that human autonomy has to be seen as constrained and limited if the worst effects of pollution and climate change are to be addressed.

scholarly journals A perspective of the epidemiology of malaria and anaemia and their impact on maternal and perinatal outcomes in Sudan

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (02) ◽  
pp. 83-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ishag Adam ◽  
Elhassan M Elhassan ◽  
Abd Elrahium D Haggaz ◽  
Abdel Aziem A Ali ◽  
Gamal K Adam
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Placental Malaria ◽  
Vitamin B12 Deficiency ◽  
Perinatal Outcomes ◽  
Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria ◽  
Malaria Prevention ◽  
Bed Nets ◽  
Case Control Studies ◽  
Cross Sectional

Introduction: Both malaria and anaemia have adverse effects on maternal and perinatal outcomes. Thus there is an urgent need to investigate the co-epidemiology of malaria and anaemia and their combined impact on maternal and perinatal outcomes in the different regions of Sudan Methodology: Various cross-sectional and case control studies conducted during the years 2003-2010 to investigate the epidemiology of malaria and anaemia and their impact on maternal and perinatal outcomes in different regions of Sudan were compared. Results: While 13.7% of antenatal attendants in New Halfa had peripheral microscopically detected Plasmodium falciparum malaria, placental malaria (using histological examinations) was prevalent in 32.0-40% and 19.5% of parturient women in New Halfa and Gadarif Hospitals, respectively. Malaria was a risk factor for anaemia in New Halfa and for stillbirths in Omdurman Maternity Hospital. Anaemia was present in 52.5%, 62.6% and 80.2% of pregnant women in Medani, New Halfa, and Gadarif Hospitals, respectively. In Gadarif, 57.3% of pregnant women had a folate deficiency, while 1% had a vitamin B12, deficiency. In Medani, zinc and copper deficiencies were detected in 45.0% and 4% of pregnant women, respectively. Anaemia was a risk factor for low birth weight in Al-Fashir, for fetal anaemia in New Halfa, and for stillbirth in Kassala Hospital. Conclusion: More care should be taken to ensure proper nutrition and malaria prevention such as bed nets and intermittent preventive treatments to avoid these diseases and their effects on maternal and perinatal outcomes.

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