Benin is one of the 17 countries receiving funding under the PMI/AIRS project. The figure below is a map showing the prospected sites (Figure 1).
The survey was conducted in 3 departments (Alibori and Donga under IRS and Atacora after IRS). Two communes were selected per department and two sites were visited per commune. One site was selected from the central part of the commune and one at the periphery. In total, 96 households were followed up:
- 32 households in Natitingou and Boukoumbé districts in the NBT health zone after end of IRS;
- 32 households in Djougou and Copargo in the DCO health zone under IRS.
Table I shows villages selected per commune. In each village, eight (08) households were selected according to the following criteria:
Table 1
Zones
|
Departments
|
Communes
|
Urbanization
|
Villages
|
IRS Zone
|
Donga
|
Djougou
|
Urban Zone
|
Zountori
|
Peripheral zone
|
Barienou
|
Copargo
|
Urban Zone
|
Kparakouna
|
Peripheral zone
|
Kataban
|
Alibori
|
Kandi
|
Urban Zone
|
Kossarou
|
Peripheral zone
|
Sonsoro
|
Gogounou
|
Urban Zone
|
Batansoue
|
Peripheral zone
|
Gounarou
|
Non-IRS Zone
|
Atacora
|
Natitingou
|
Urban Zone
|
Boriyoure
|
Peripheral zone
|
Kotopounga
|
Boukombé
|
Urban Zone
|
Koutchagou
|
Peripheral zone
|
Koussoucouingou
|
Data collection techniques and tools
Direct observations all night, from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am
All outdoor and indoor activities observed were timed every 30 minutes to follow each member throughout the night from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am. The goal was to identify the practices of each member of the family favoring contact with mosquitoes at night. The activities included: cooking, watching television, listening to the radio, having some rest, working at home, working with a laptop, phoning, listening to music, eating, sleeping without the mosquito net, sleeping under the mosquito net, chatting with someone, playing, praying, washing dishes, taking a bath. A form was developed to point out each member’s activity and specify where each activity took place (indoors or outdoors) from 7:00 pm to 7:00 based on the form of the protocol. (Figure 2).
Qualitatives data
A qualitative questionnaire was shared with adult household members to have their perception of the fight tools and the factors preventing the use of LLINs.
Data processing hardware and software
Data processing was made possible by the use of some softwares classified in three categories: GIS and Spatial Analysis, Remote Sensing/Digital Image Processing, Data Analysis/Modeling and GPS Management.
- GIS and spatial analysis software was used to apply spatial processing to data: geometric transformation, projection, interpolation, and estimation. The software used was: Arcgis 10.3 with Spatial Analyst and Geostatiscal Analyst extensions of ESRI.
- Statistical data processing/modeling software was used for data analysis. These were mainly treatments related to variance analysis and descriptive statistics. Softwares used included SPSS 21, SAS 9.2.
- GPS software allowed us to download the coordinates of the surveyed localities. The GPS track maker, Odilon Ferreira Junior, and DNR Garming softwares also helped.
This study looked at the behaviors of the populations who were in inadequacy with the fight tools in the IRS and non-IRS communes. This activity was intended to give information about communication design of potential behavior change or other interventions to reduce the risk of infection from external malaria.
We thus collected quantitative and qualitative data through direct and participative observation of activities and locations every 30 minutes from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am for each household member included in the study. The activities included: cooking, watching television, listening to the radio, having some rest, working at home, working with a laptop, phoning, listening to music, eating, sleeping without the mosquito net, sleeping under the mosquito net, chatting with someone, playing, praying, washing dishes, taking a bath.
Capturing mosquitoes on humans
In each of the communes, a central and a peripheral zone were chosen. Monthly catches of aggressive mosquitoes per hour were taken in both areas using hemolysis tubes from 7pm to 7am on volunteer human subjects who had previously given their favourable consent for the activity to take place. Two nights of mosquito collection were organized per month before, during and after the cessation of IRS. These catches were made from january to may 2018. In each commune, two boxes were chosen per zone for mosquito collection. The recorded data allowed to evaluate the aggressive density.