Project Lead(s): Alex Ntamatungiro, Arnold Mmbando
Issue
Outbreaks of diarrhea are closely related to a seasonal abundance of houseflies, which mostly breed in waste disposal sites.
The problem is faced by the majority of people living in slums and many rural areas, which are often characterized by poor sanitation and hygiene.
Unfortunately, housefly control is not generally embraced as having any public health importance and few people relate housefly densities to diarrheal disease incidence.
Solution
The objective of this project was to design and test a low-cost, attractant-baited and insecticide-treated fly trap for use in poor communities in Tanzania, to control house fly densities and reduce the risk of diarrheal diseases.
The project team designed, constructed and optimized an effective fly-trap prototype that attracts and kills a wide range of fly species. The 45 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm-device uses fish waste as bait, impregnated with fly-killing insecticides (Agita).
Over a 12-week period, fly abundance was determined at a rural Ifakara, Tanzania, site using the prototype fly trap.
Reported cases of diarrhea were determined at baseline and three months after the fly traps at the selected site.
Outcome
Using a detailed questionnaire, it was determined that 99% of heads of households where the study was conducted felt the fly-trap was effective and that fly abundance had decreased following deployment of the trap.
They also responded that they would be willing to pay for the fly trap, if made available for sale.
Knowledge of the research has been disseminated through conferences and community meetings, and the team plans to apply for Transition To Scale (TTS) funding.