MENTOR has received a grant from Gates Foundation to evaluate the effectiveness of spatial emanators in humanitarian settings in partnership with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the South Sudan Ministry of Health, University of Nevada-Las Vegas and SC Johnson.
The two-year programme will assess the use, impact and cost-effectiveness of spatial emanators in displaced communities at most risk of malaria and other vector-borne diseases. Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences.
The distribution of Guardian™ spatial emanators led by UNHCR in Jamjang in northern South Sudan, will help to protect around 225,000 people living in refugee camps and host communities from vector-borne diseases.
The evidence generated will help demonstrate whether this type of tool can be effectively distributed through existing UNHCR supply chains to become a practical, scalable malaria-control tool in humanitarian emergencies.
“Traditional vector control tools such as nets and indoor residual spraying are often difficult to deploy effectively and in a timely manner during the earliest stages of displacement, when the risk from vector-borne disease is often highest. Spatial emanators may fill this gap and provide a faster, simpler and more practical intervention in emergency settings. We are excited to work with our partners on this study and contribute to future WHO operational guidance on these tools.” – Dr Richard Allan OBE, The MENTOR Initiative.
The WHO issued a recommendation for the use of spatial emanators last year, an innovative, easy to use vector control tool. They have been shown to reduce the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes and sandflies and being infected by malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis and potentially other vector-borne diseases, whilst being safe for people to use in their shelters and homes.
MENTOR has contributed to evidence of their effectiveness through past studies in internally displaced camps and host communities in Syria, Yemen and Nigeria.
Caption: Last year BPRM supported the distribution of spatial emanators in refugee camps and host communities in Jamjang.