In2Care EaveTubes (ETs) are an inexpensive, new vector control product under World Health Organization (WHO) evaluation informed by mosquito ecology to efficiently target malaria vectors. By installing ETs in the walls of the house at eave level that funnel the natural airflow, mosquitoes are drawn in by the same heat and odor cues that typically attract them through the eaves. Once inside an ET, mosquitoes come into contact with insecticide-treated netting placed inside the ET.~The aim of this study is to test whether ETs as stand-alone tool have an effect on the epidemiology of malaria in villages where houses have been modified with the ET intervention. This prospective 2-arm cluster randomized control trial based on a WHO Vector Control Advisory Group approved protocol will include 17 intervention clusters and 17 control clusters. Both arms will have pyrethroid-treated bednets. Based on the population census, 55 households per cluster with eligible children will be randomly selected for recruitment into the active detection cohorts. In the intervention arm, we will enroll eligible children who reside in ET-treated houses. In the control arm, we will enroll children residing in villages without ET-treated houses. The intervention and control cohorts will be followed for 4 months for baseline covariate measurements and 24 months of a clinical follow up period. During case detection visits, blood samples will be taken from all febrile children and tested for malaria infection with rapid diagnostic tests. To assess the impact of the ET on mosquito density, entomological measurements will be conducted monthly in 20 clusters (10 ET, 10 Control) in 10 randomly selected households per cluster. To estimate the infectiousness of malaria vectors, sporozoite rates will be measured in subsets of the collected mosquito samples.
The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether In2Care EaveTubes (ETs) as a stand-alone tool can reduce malaria in an area where transmission is driven by insecticide-resistant Anopheles gambiae. Children who live in homes with ETs will be monitored for malaria infection and compared to children living in homes without ETs in Côte d'Ivoire where there is universal coverage of long lasting insecticide nets and pyrethroid resistance is high.