House Screening - Biological and Environmental Control of Disease Vectors - page 132

(a)

(b)

Fig. 7.3. (a) Rubber sheet used to close space
above doorway (Farafenni, The Gambia) and (b)
patches sewn to repair holes in existing screen
door (Samataba, The Gambia) (author's own
photographs).

7.5.2 Affordability have suggested that simple bamboo frames lined

with fi shing net material could make cheap
window screening (Lek-Uthai, personal com-
munication). In communities that are better-of
fi nancially, there is an indication that people are
prepared to screen their houses themselves using
quality materials. Personal investment in
screening is good evidence of the usefulness and
worth of house screening to community
members. Well-made doors and windows are
valued in Sri Lanka and associated with al uent
housing; poorer quality housing by contrast has
open unscreened verandas (Gamage-Mendis et
al ., 1991). A similar picture is seen in Dar es
Salaam (Ogoma et al ., 2009).
One approach to address the inequity in
af ordability whilst improving all the housing
within a community would be to provide
fi nancial support to house modifi cation for the
lowest income groups and to house replacement
for higher earners. One signifi cant problem is
that many rural houses are left incomplete once
money runs out. House screening cannot be
easily installed where attachment points for

Vector-borne diseases, like most infectious
diseases, are primarily al ictions of the poorest
populations. Malaria is a barrier to socio-
economic development, including property
accumulation (Audibert et al ., 2003). Families
with low incomes as a result of poor health are
also not able to invest in improvements to their
houses. Therefore the focus of development
agencies and aid organizations should be on
providing screening to the houses of these
poorest people. The availability of suitable
screening materials in rural towns in the tropics
and subtropics is increasing, but focus groups in
The Gambia would suggest that these materials
are still too expensive for many rural com-
munities (Kirby et al ., 2010). Alternatives such
as bead curtains, made from string or fi bres
unstitched from polyethylene or jute sacking,
could be ef ective home-made eave curtains
(Kohn, 1991; Rozendaal, 1997), especially if
treated with insecticides such as those supplied
for retreating bed nets. Researchers in Thailand