Malaria is lingering globally with 3.3 billion people at risk of infection and 1.2 billion others classified as high risk. The economic burden caused by the disease and vectors is humongous globally. The epicenter is Sub-Sahara Africa which accounts for 92% of the annual death burden of 435,000 of which 61% are children of less than five years. Result of elimination activities are manifest in all other WHO regions except in Sub-Sahara Africa where efforts to control the disease/vector bear unsatisfactory testimony. This worst case scenario in the region is the handiwork of weak governments and institutions that appear to lead control strategies by showiness via information media; but in reality, they are part of the albatross that stampede the processes. Remedying the situation would require multi-tactics including arm-twisting relevant authorities in Africa by the international community and knowledge-based actions by private individuals and communities to stem the tide.

Background Female mosquitoes serve as vectors for a host of illnesses, including malaria, spread by the Plasmodium parasite. Despite monumental strides to reduce this disease burden through tools such as bed nets, the rate of these gains is slowing. Ongoing disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic may also negatively impact gains. The following scoping review was conducted to examine novel means of reversing this trend by exploring the efficacy of insecticide-treated window screens or eaves to reduce Anopheles mosquito bites, mosquito house entry, and density. Methods Two reviewers independently searched PubMed, Scopus, and ProQuest databases on 10 July, 2020 for peer-reviewed studies using insecticide-treated screens or eaves in malaria-endemic countries. These articles were published in English between the years 2000–2020. Upon collection, the reports were stratified into categories of biting incidence and protective efficacy, mosquito entry and density, and mosquito mortality. Results Thirteen out of 2180 articles were included in the final review. Eaves treated with beta-cyfluthrin, transfluthrin or bendiocarb insecticides were found to produce vast drops in blood-feeding, biting or mosquito prevalence. Transfluthrin-treated eaves were reported to have greater efficacy at reducing mosquito biting: Rates dropped by 100% both indoors and outdoors under eave ribbon treatments of 0.2% transfluthrin (95% CI 0.00–0.00; p < 0.001). Additionally, co-treating window screens and eaves with polyacrylate-binding agents and with pirimiphos-methyl has been shown to retain insecticidal potency after several washes, with a mosquito mortality rate of 94% after 20 washes (95% CI 0.74–0.98; p < 0.001). Conclusions The results from this scoping review suggest that there is value in implementing treated eave tubes or window screens. More data are needed to study the longevity of screens and household attitudes toward these interventions.

Insecticides are utilized as key components in agriculture and public health tool-kits. Mosquitoes are targeted using out/indoor insecticide sprays and treated bed nets to reduce malaria. These practices are associated with increasing resistance in various species of mosquitoes, multiple insecticide use, environmental pollution, high cost and spread of malaria into regions where they did not exist before. This paper explores the possibility of developing a safer route to mosquito control through the use of plant secondary metabolites. Peer-reviewed literature on safe substances from biological sources with attractive potentials to mediate arrested development on water-based stages of mosquitoes were appraised. Google Scholar search engine was used to locate published works from reputable journals and institutions by feeding its dialogue search box with relevant key words. Insecticide use is bedeviled with lots of impediments which embolden malaria vectors to acquire resistance, destabilize the ecosystem besides causing public health problems. Plants such as Citrullus colocynthi, Azadirachta indica, etc. contain secondary metabolites that are effective in arresting eggs, larva and pupa in water. Azadirachta indica extract is reputed to have the highest activity against insect vectors. Its most active ingredient against vectors is azadirachtin.  Its use in mosquito control will be sustainable as it is well endowed with both reduced cost, accessibility and effectiveness in small water bodies around human surroundings. Small- and large-scale production of azadirachtin can be done through plant tissue culture which is boosted with new editing tools in genetic engineering. Use of A. Indica’s azadirachtin is a safe malaria vector control that can be accomplished through imposition of arrested development on immature mosquitoes. Its role in deceiving egg laden mosquitoes deserve further investigations while funding agencies such as World Health Organization (WHO) and governments of Sub Sahara Africa should take advantage of this harmless route to eliminate malaria.

Mosquitoes spread malaria parasites in closed/open environment when they feed endophagously/ exophagously. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) and long-lasting insecticide nets (LLIN) are control measures adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) that have not led to malaria elimination. Delay in defeating mosquito/malaria is attributed to WHO’s espousal of the last line of intervention that at-risk persons often ignore. Mosquito control methods will have to change if we must make progress in this direction. This paper shows that mosquitoes must survive four barriers before successfully attacking a host in a bed net. Correspondingly, indoor hosts have four levels of defenses where mosquitoes could be challenged albeit with increasing impediments. The first line of defense consists of net-screened windows, doors and eaves which circumscribe houses-outdoor environment. At-risk persons do not resist/refuse net-screening the openings in their houses. The last defensive intervention which most at-risk persons often resist most is sleeping in bed nets. The Achilles heel of IRS and LLIN include but not limited to vector resistance to insecticides, discomfort to beneficiaries, harm to non-target organisms, inequity in supply and distribution of control materials. List of advantages attributable to LLIN use has only 7 items whereas disadvantages have 37 items. House screening has better appeal to control mosquito/malaria indoors. The WHO should replace LLIN and IRS with house screening as the primary control method. Governments in endemic regions must use legislation to drive house screening especially with the s/o channel/grip devices that is accessible, cheap, effective and sustainable