Clinical Evaluation of Insect Repellent and Insecticide Treated Nets in Lao PDR

Summary

Rural communities involved in agriculture are often at highest risk of insect-borne diseases in Southeast (SE) Asia. Skin-applied insect repellents may prove a useful means of reducing mosquito-borne diseases for those people working outdoors in high risk areas. This trial is evaluating the use of insect repellent (20% diethyltoluamide) to reduce incidence of malaria, Japanese Encephalitis and Dengue. The investigators will recruit up to 1000 households from 100 villages in rural Laos. In each house the investigators shall recruit up to 5 individuals. Half of households will be randomised to repellent, half to a placebo. All individuals will be provided with insecticide treated bed nets for use at night. All household occupants will be followed for 7 months to record malaria cases by Rapid Diagnostic Test every month. Blood spots will be collected at start and end of study to measure Japanese Encephalitis and Dengue. All positive cases will be promptly treated. Outcome will be reduction in number of malaria cases (primary outcome) and Dengue/Japanese Encephalitis (secondary outcomes).

Timeline

Start

2009-07

Primary completion

2010-12

Completion

2011-06

Outcome

Missed primary endpoint

paper Intention to treat analysis found no effect from the use of repellent on malaria incidence (hazard ratio: 1.00, 95% CI: 0.99-1.01, p = 0.868). PMID 23967083 ↗

Publications

• Chen-Hussey V, Carneiro I, Keomanila H, Gray R, Bannavong S, Phanalasy S, Lindsay SW. Can topical insect repellents reduce malaria? A cluster-randomised controlled trial of the insect repellent N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) in Lao PDR. PLoS One. 2013 Aug 14;8(8):e70664. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070664. eCollection 2013.

Drugs

Indications