Saili, KochelaniDe Jager, ChristiaanMasaninga, FreddieSangoro, Onyango P.Nkya, Theresia E.Likulunga, Likulunga EmmanuelChirwa, JacobHamainza, BusikuChanda, EmmanuelFillinger, UlrikeMutero, Clifford Maina2024-12-042024-12-042024-01-15Saili, K.; de Jager, C.; Masaninga, F.; Sangoro, O.P.; Nkya, T.E.; Likulunga, L.E.; Chirwa, J.; Hamainza, B.; Chanda, E.; Fillinger, U.; et al. House Screening Reduces Exposure to Indoor Host-Seeking and Biting Malaria Vectors: Evidence from Rural South-East Zambia. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease 2024, 9, 20. https://DOI.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9010020.2414-6366 (online)10.3390/tropicalmed9010020http://hdl.handle.net/2263/99754DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.This study evaluated the impact of combining house screens with long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) on mosquito host-seeking, resting, and biting behavior. Intervention houses received house screens and LLINs, while control houses received only LLINs. Centre for Disease Control light traps, pyrethrum spray collections and human landing catches were used to assess the densities of indoor and outdoor host-seeking, indoor resting, and biting behavior of malaria vectors in 15 sentinel houses per study arm per sampling method. The protective efficacy of screens and LLINs was estimated through entomological inoculation rates (EIRs). There were 68% fewer indoor host-seeking Anopheles funestus (RR = 0.32, 95% CI 0.20–0.51, p < 0.05) and 63% fewer An. arabiensis (RR = 0.37, 95% CI 0.22–0.61, p < 0.05) in screened houses than unscreened houses. There was a significantly higher indoor biting rate for unscreened houses (6.75 bites/person/h [b/p/h]) than for screened houses (0 b/p/h) (χ2 = 6.67, df = 1, p < 0.05). The estimated indoor EIR in unscreened houses was 2.91 infectious bites/person/six months, higher than that in screened houses (1.88 infectious bites/person/six months). Closing eaves and screening doors and windows has the potential to reduce indoor densities of malaria vectors and malaria transmission.en© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.Anopheles mosquitoesEavesEntomological inoculation rateSporozoite infectivity rateHouse screensLong-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs)SDG-03: Good health and well-beingArticle