Low-Cost Housing Could Cut Malaria Transmission in Africa by Half 

Photo: UNEP

Despite a 50 percent reduction in malaria infections in sub-Saharan Africa over the last fifteen years, almost half of the world’s population still remains at risk of the deadly disease.

Insecticide-treated nets are responsible for 68 percent of the decline in malaria transmission, but more could be done to help reduce the burden of disease and help reduce the dependency on insecticides – including Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT).

Professor Steve Lindsay, a public health entomologist and expert in vector-borne diseases said, “The use of insecticides to eradicate malaria is the number one reason we’ve seen a major decline in the disease in recent decades, but unfortunately what we’re also seeing is growing resistance of mosquitoes to these insecticides.”

The production and use of DDT – a persistent organic pollutant – is restricted worldwide to disease vector control. In many tropical regions DDT is sprayed on the interior of houses to keep malaria carrying mosquitos away.

However, when a mud-walled house is left to be washed away in the rains or replaced, DDT can make its way into the food chain where it is toxic to a wide range of living organisms.

Professor Lindsay made his remarks at the recent UN Chemicals and Waste Convention in Geneva, where he shared a design for low-cost housing in Africa that could greatly reduce dependence on DDT and other insecticides as a means of eradicating and controlling malaria. The new design prescribes replacing thatched roofs with tin roofs and mass producing doors and windows with proper screening.

“Around 429,000 people die of malaria every year, with Africa bearing 92 percent of fatalities. What most people don’t realize is that 80 percent of malaria transmission takes place in the home. That’s why improved housing needs to be considered as part of an integrated strategy for keeping malaria at bay and reducing our reliance on insecticides. UN Environment can help spread the message about this new innovation to architects, engineers, planners, policymakers and communities.”