Low-Cost Materials for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Installation of House Screening against Aedes aegypti

Abstract

House-screening (HS) using fixed-aluminium frames to reduce the risk of indoor infestation with Aedes aegypti mosquitoes as well as the risk of Aedes-transmitted diseases in communities living in endemic areas. However, the success of this approach has been hindered by the elevated cost of the aluminium-based materials as well as their professional installation, which cannot be afforded by people living under vulnerable conditions. Cost-saving strategies such as the use of low-cost materials including wood, PVC, and Velcro are within the list of HS options available and offered by HS businesses and/or Do-it-yourself (DIY) packages verbi gratia ready-made and ready-to-install mosquito-screens. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of low-cost frames constructed with different materials to protect against Ae. aegypti indoor infestation using experimental huts. The efficacy of protection in preventing female mosquito passing inside the huts of any of the options of frames was high (>93%) compared to the control with no-screen. People’s perceptions on the different materials showed the most “popular” alternative was the frame made of wood (62%). All the prototype-frames of HS made of different materials were effective at blocking Ae. aegypti entering-mosquitoes particularly, low-cost options like magnets and Velcro.