Impact of different strategies to control Plasmodium infection and anaemia on the island of Bioko (Equatorial Guinea)

Two transversal studies, the first one prior to the start of the IRS campaign and the second one year later. Sampling was carried out by stratified clusters. Malaria infection was measured by means of thick and thin film, and the packed cell volume (PCV) percentage. Data related to ITN use and information regarding IRS were collected. The Pearson's chi-square and logistic regression statistical tests were used to calculate odds ratios (OR)In the first survey, 168 children were sampled and 433 children in the second one. The prevalence of infection was 40% in 2004, and significantly lower at 21.7% in 2005. PCV was 41% and 39%, respectively. 58% of the children surveyed in 2004 and 44.3% in 2005 had slept under an ITN. 78% of the dwellings studied in 2005 had been sprayed. In the 2005 survey, sleeping without a mosquito net meant a risk of infection 3 times greater than sleeping protected with a net hanged correctly and with no holes (p < 0.05).IRS and ITNs have proven to be effective control strategies on the island of Bioko. The choice of one or other strategy is, above all, a question of operational feasibility and availability of local resources.The fight against malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa has to be transectoral and tackled from the clinical, social and vectorial points of view, involving the local health structure (primary health care systems, national anti-malaria and vector control programmes) and international support programmes [1-3].The vector control campaigns are based on environmental sanitation and suitable environmental management, the implementation of educational programmes and the use of insecticides, either to impregnate fabrics (mosquito nets, curtains....) or to spray (indoors and outdoors). The majority of these directives are currently the basic pillars of the fight against vectors, except for the use of pesticides, which has to be highly regulated and their handling subject to strict control, according to the recommendations of the WHO [4].D