Breeding prevention

Since mosquitoes breed in standing water, breeding prevention can be as simple as emptying water from containers around the house.

Mosquito breeding sites can also be destroyed by filling depressions that collect water, by draining swamps or by ditching marshy areas to remove standing water.

Vector control

Two forms of prevention are effective against adult mosquitoes:

• Sleeping under a long-lasting insecticidal treated nets (LLITNs mosquito nets) is a cheap and easy way to reduce the chance of getting malaria.
• Indoor spraying with residual insecticides is a powerful way to rapidly reduce malaria transmission. The Honiara City Council uses lambda-cyhalothrin (brand name ICON) to spray houses, which provides protection against mosquitoes up to 6 months.

Medical prevention

Antimalarial medicines can also be used to prevent malaria. For travellers, malaria can be prevented through chemoprophylaxis, which suppresses the blood stage of malaria infections, thereby preventing malaria disease.

In addition, WHO recommends intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for pregnant women living in high transmission areas, at each scheduled antenatal visit after the first trimester.

For more information, contact the HCC Vector Borne Disease Control Programme Office at 28295 or at the Health Division office; or contact the National Vector Borne Programme at 30655.