ZeroFly® Shelter - Concept

One third of the world´s annual malaria deaths occurs amongst population affected by conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria may account for between 50 and 90 per cent of all outpatient consultations and over 50 per cent of deaths, particularly during the acute emergency phase¹.

The acute stage of emergencies, when people are the most vulnerable, may last for several months. In these situations, when international organisations are the main provider of essential services, the focus is on lifesaving operations. Disease prevention interventions tend to be implemented at a much later stage or not at all. Resources, time and operational constraints reduce the suitability of available prevention strategies such as insecticide-treated nets and residual spraying used for malaria control. As a consequence, malaria remains largely unaddressed in complex emergencies.

To bridge the gap between the acute phase of an emergency and the time when proper infrastructure is established, the ZeroFly® shelter, a long-lasting insecticide-incorporated plastic sheeting, has been developed as a dual function tool providing both shelter and malaria prevention.

Using ZeroFly® shelter as a malaria-control tool has the following advantages:

• Emergency shelter material such as plastic sheeting is often the first thing on the ground, and malaria prevention therefore begins immediately.
• In acute emergency situations with high death rates, the priorities of the displaced families focus on the most tangible issues related to survival, such as food, water and shelter, which increase the likelihood of use and retention.
• Malaria prevention is provided with an increased speed of response and cost-effectiveness since insecticide is incorporated into a product being sent into the field.

ZeroFly® shelter is a preventive intervention developed by Vestergaard Frandsen to change the health management of the most vulnerable people on earth — the displaced.

References

1. WHO report. 2002. Capacity building for Roll Back Malaria in Complex Emergencies