Abstract:
BACKGOUND: House screening remains conspicuously absent in national malaria programs despite its recognition by
the World Health Organization as a supplementary malaria vector-control intervention. This may be attributed, in part,
to the knowledge gap in screen durability or longevity in local climatic conditions and community acceptance under
specific cultural practices and socio-economic contexts. The objectives of this study were to assess the durability of
window and door wire mesh screens a year after full house screening and to assess the acceptability of the house
screening intervention to the participants involved.
METHODS: This study was conducted in Nyimba district, Zambia and used both quantitative and qualitative methods
of data collection and analysis. Both direct observation and questionnaires were employed to assess the durability of
the screens and the main reasons for damage. Findings on damage were summarized as percentages. Focus group
discussions were used to assess people’s knowledge, perceptions, and acceptability of the closing eaves and house
screening intervention. Deductive coding and inductive coding were used to analyse the qualitative data.
RESULTS: A total of 321 out of 400 (80.3%) household owners of screened houses were interviewed. Many window
screens (90.3%) were intact. In sharp contrast, most door screens were torn (n=150; 46.7%) or entirely removed
(n=55; 17.1%). Most doors (n=114; 76%) had their wire mesh damaged or removed on the bottom half. Goats
(25.4%), rust (17.6%) and children (17.1%) were cited most as the cause of damage to door screens. The focus group
discussion elicited positive experiences from the participants following the closing of eaves and screening of
their windows and doors, ranging from sleeping peacefully due to reduced mosquito biting and/or nuisance and
having fewer insects in the house. Participants linked house screening to reduced malaria in their households and
community.
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that in rural south-east Zambia, closing eaves and screening windows and
doors was widely accepted. Participants perceived that house screening reduced human-vector contact, reduced the malaria burden and nuisance biting from other potentially disease carrying insects. However, screened doors are
prone to damage, mainly by children, domestic animals, rust, and termites.
