AJTMH 20 Dec 2023

This abstract below from the journal: Gimnig JE, Steinhardt LC, Awolola TS, Impoinvil D, Zohdy S, Lindblade KA. Reducing Malaria Transmission through Reactive Indoor Residual Spraying: A Systematic Review. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2023 Dec 20:tpmd220745-.

In the final stages of malaria elimination, interventions to reduce malaria transmission are often centered around a confirmed case of malaria, as cases tend to cluster together at very low levels of transmission. The WHO commissioned a systematic review of the literature and synthesis of evidence for reactive indoor residual spraying (IRS) to develop official recommendations for countries. This review found that reactive IRS reduces malaria prevalence, probably reduces the incidence of clinical malaria, and probably results in little to no difference in adverse events compared with no reactive IRS. This review suggests that in comparison to proactive, focal IRS, reactive IRS probably results in little to no difference in the incidence of clinical malaria, suggesting that it is as equally effective as proactive, focal IRS. The evidence indicates that reactive IRS may be a cost-effective tool for the prevention of malaria in elimination settings.