Toolkit for Monitoring and Evaluation of Indoor Residual Spraying for Visceral Leishmaniasis Control in the Indian Subcontinent: Application and Results

• Published in: Journal of Tropical Medicine
• Main Authors: M. Mamun Huda, Dinesh Mondal, Vijay Kumar, Pradeep Das, S. N. Sharma, Murari Lal Das, Lolita Roy, Chitra Kumar Gurung, Megha Raj Banjara, Shireen Akhter, Narayan Prosad Maheswary, Axel Kroeger, Rajib Chowdhury
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2011
• Subjects: Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic; Azar; Indian
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/876742; https://doaj.org/article/8a6d53c0662a42e887283c06ce5540be

Background. We field tested and validated a newly developed monitoring and evaluation (M&E) toolkit for indoor residual spraying to be used by the supervisors at different levels of the national kala-azar elimination programs in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Methods. Methods included document analysis, in-depth interviews, direct observation of spraying squads, and entomological-chemical assessments (bioassay, susceptibility test, chemical analysis of insecticide residues on sprayed surfaces, vector density measurements at baseline, and three follow-up surveys). Results. We found that the documentation at district offices was fairly complete; important shortcomings included insufficient training of spraying squads and supervisors, deficient spray equipment, poor spraying performance, lack of protective clothing, limited coverage of houses resulting in low bioavailability of the insecticide on sprayed surfaces, and reduced vector susceptibility to DDT in India, which limited the impact on vector densities. Conclusion. The M&E toolkit is a useful instrument for detecting constraints in IRS operations and to trigger timely response.