The fight against malaria has been equipped with a new tool. The Malagasy state, with the support of the American government, is strengthening malaria prevention through a new device: spatial repellents. The campaign was launched in Morondava on October 19. The project plans to install 100,000 devices in 29,000 households to protect 120,000 residents across five communes. These devices serve as a complement to mosquito nets.
“Every person in Madagascar is at risk of malaria. Every household in Morondava has a mosquito net, but the disease remains very prevalent in several rural communes. The spatial repellent is a complement to mosquito nets, not a replacement. Therefore, continue to sleep under your mosquito net every night,” stated Allison Belemvire, Public Health Advisor at the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Health Security and Diplomacy (GHSD), during the launch ceremony.
According to the project promoters, the device slowly releases an invisible product into the air that repels and kills mosquitoes inside homes for up to one year. Supported by the PMI Evolve project of the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, Madagascar is one of only six countries in the world to use this strategy.
The campaign will continue until October 28. The goal is to cover more than 95% of households before the rainy season and the peak of malaria transmission, which is expected between December and April.
Captured & Published at: 2026-10-21 06:24:17 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/10/sante-publique-un-nouvel-outil-de-lutte.html