The problem
Malaria remains one of the world’s deadliest diseases, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where over 90% of global malaria deaths occur. Despite significant gains in malaria prevention, progress has stalled in recent years.
Vector control tools, such as insecticide-treated nets and indoor spraying, remain the cornerstone of malaria prevention, but their effectiveness is increasingly threatened by insecticide resistance, changes in mosquito behavior and other environmental factors. Expanding the range of effective tools to prevent malaria is now more critical than ever to protect the most vulnerable communities.
Spatial emanators are a new class of malaria prevention tools that passively release a volatile insecticide into the air, reducing human exposure to malaria vectors within the protected space. When correctly deployed and replaced as needed, they can provide continuous indoor protection that complements existing interventions such as insecticide-treated nets.
As countries begin introducing spatial emanators at scale, we need practical evidence on how best to deploy them, how to support their uptake and use by communities, and where and how they can have the greatest impact. This will help ensure that limited resources are targeted to the populations and settings where spatial emanators can provide the greatest additional protection.
Our response
Led by Swiss TPH, CONVINCE (Country Operationalized Novel Vector Interventions for Malaria Control) will generate practical evidence on how spatial emanators can be effectively implemented across different settings and communities.
The project will examine their use in areas with low coverage or use of insecticide-treated nets, rural and urban settings, as well as areas where different mosquito species are present. They will assess the impact of spatial emanators, their costs and practical implementation, as well as community acceptance and market readiness.
The findings will help countries make informed decisions about where and how to use spatial emanators and contribute to evolving WHO guidance, while supporting sustainable access and scale-up.
CONVINCE will complement and work in partnership with CANVeCT, led by the Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID) in Cameroon, which will generate practical evidence to help countries sustainably scale up and expand access to new malaria prevention tools.