A qualitative look at bed net access and use in Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Rwanda following piloted distributions of dual-active ingredient insecticide-treated nets

Background: Universal coverage with insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) is important for malaria control and elimination. The emergence and intensification of insecticide resistance threatens progress made through the deployment of these interventions and has required the development of newer, more expensive ITN types. Understanding malaria prevention behaviour, including barriers and facilitators to net access and use, can support effective decision-making for the promotion and distribution of ITNs. Methods: In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in 3 to 4 villages per district, in 13 districts across Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria and Rwanda from 2019 to 2022. Interviews were conducted in the local language, translated and transcribed in English, French or Portuguese. Transcripts were coded and analysed using Nvivo and ATLAS.ti. Results: ITNs were obtained from mass distribution campaigns, antenatal care and immunization visits, and purchased on the private market in some locations. While there were divergent perspectives in whether the number of distributed nets were adequate, participants consistently expressed concerns of bias, discrimination, and a lack of transparency with the distribution process. ITNs were frequently used alongside other malaria prevention methods. The primary motivation for use was malaria prevention. While some participants reported using nets nightly throughout the year, other participants reported seasonal use, both due to the perceived higher density of mosquitoes and discomfort of sleeping under a net in the increased heat. Other barriers to consistent net use included activities that take place away from the home, sleeping patterns and arrangements, and sensitivity to the insecticides on the nets. Conclusions: ITNs remain an important malaria control intervention. To ensure adequate and increased net access, distribution campaigns should consider family structures, available sleeping spaces, and other bed sharing preferences when identifying the number of nets needed for distribution. In addition, campaigns should allow for multiple options for net distribution points and timing to accommodate households remote to health services. Continuous distribution channels and complimentary distribution through the private sector could help fill gaps in coverage. Solutions are needed for outdoor malaria transmission, including alternative designs for ITNs, and improving access to complementary personal protective measures

Dynamiques territoriales en périphérie des Parcs Nationaux de Taï et de la Comoé (Côte d’Ivoire)

En Afrique subsaharienne, la croissance démographique et la variabilité climatique génèrent d’importants mouvements de population en direction des espaces protégés. Ces changements n’épargnent pas la Côte d’Ivoire où la population est passée de 2,6 millions d’habitants (8 hab./km2) en 1950 à 23,1 millions d’habitants (soit 71,6 hab./km2) en 2015 (UN, 2017). Les dynamiques de peuplements impulsées par cette croissance démographique ont abouti à une saturation foncière, ce qui a orienté les populations agricoles en direction des espaces protégés générant ainsi des fronts pionniers agricoles à l’intérieur et en périphérie de ces territoires. Aujourd’hui, la raréfaction des ressources foncières en périphérie des espaces protégés ivoiriens témoigne de l’ampleur de la saturation foncière, et suscite une convoitise accrue des ressources de ces espaces (agriculture, chasse, pêche, cueillette, orpaillage), mettant ainsi en péril leur biodiversité. L’objectif de cette étude est de rendre compte des processus d’exploitation de deux territoires situés en marge d’espaces protégés, afin d’entrevoir l’évolution de la pression anthropique. Il s’agit de caractériser les dynamiques de peuplements (création, extension et multiplication des peuplements, augmentation des densités de populations humaines) et les évolutions de l’emprise rurale (superficies cultivées et types de cultures) en périphérie du Parc National de Taï (forêt) et du Parc National de la Comoé (savane). En raison de la pression anthropique actuelle et des projections démographiques annoncées dans un contexte de variabilité climatique, il est nécessaire de s’interroger sur le devenir à plus ou moins long terme des aires protégées ivoiriennes.In Sub-Saharan Africa, population growth and climatic variability generated significant population movements towards protected areas. These changes do not spared Côte d’Ivoire where the population has increased from 2.6 million (8 inh/km2) in 1950 to 23.1 million in 2015 (71,6 inh/km2) (UN, 2017). The population dynamics driven by this demographic growth have led to land saturation, which has directed agricultural populations towards protected areas, thus generating pioneer agricultural front at the periphery of these territories. Today, the disappearance of land resources on the periphery of Ivorian protected areas testifies to the extreme greed of these areas (agriculture, hunting, fishing, gathering, gold panning), with a risk for biodiversity in National Parks and classified forests. The objective of this study is to report the dynamics of territories situated in margins of two main protected areas of Côte d’Ivoire. It is a question of characterizing the dynamics of stands (creation, extension and multiplication of settlements, increase of densities of human populations) and evolutions of the rural hold (cultivated areas and types of crops) on the outskirts of the Tai National Park (forest) and the Comoé National Park (savannah). Given the current human pressure and demographic projections, it is necessary to consider the future of Ivorian protected areas in longer or shorter term

Varia

Ce numéro « Varia » des Cahiers d’Outre-Mer interroge finalement des modalités variées de connexions d’espaces intertropicaux à d’autres espaces. À partir d’approches inscrites en géographie, en sociologie ou en économie rurale, il contribue au système explicatif de la revue qui privilégie l’analyse de logiques d’acteurs, autrement dit la dimension politique des phénomènes socio-spatiaux. Ce numéro fait la part belle aux enquêtes de terrain avec des entrées certes différentes, mais dont la mise en écho permet de rendre compte d’évolutions du monde contemporain… [En savoir +