Advancing Dengue Prevention in Sri Lanka with WHO-prequalified Spatial Repellents

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued a conditional recommendation for spatial emanators (spatial repellents, SRs) for malaria prevention, marking the first new class of WHO-approved vector control tools since insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) in the early 2000s. This decision was based on strong evidence from the Unitaid-funded AEGIS trial in Kenya which demonstrated a reduction of overall malaria infections by one-third (33.4% and 32.1%, respectively), compared to the placebo product. This Mosquito Shield™ is a transfluthrin-based spatial repellent developed by SC Johnson.

The WHO’s conditional recommendation means that while clear benefits exist, more implementation data is needed. Hence, calling for further research to strengthen the evidence base, exactly the gap RemediumOne has been addressing since 2022 by evaluating the same WHO-prequalified spatial repellent Mosquito Shield™ for its potential in controlling Aedes-borne diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya through a large-scale community-based trial led by University of Notre Dame under the AEGIS program.
Data collection for this trial ended on June 30, 2025 and data is being analyzed, and results will be presented as soon as they become available.

Spatial repellents function by releasing active ingredients (like transfluthrin) into the air to:
Repel mosquitoes from entering protected spaces
Disorient and reduce biting behavior
Kill mosquitoes upon contact
Unlike bed nets or indoor spraying, SRs provide protection even when people are moving about, making them particularly valuable against day-biting mosquitoes like Aedes that transmit dengue.

WHO’s prequalification of Mosquito Shield™ enables UN agencies, partner organizations, and governments to more readily approve and procure the product, accelerating delivery to communities with urgent needs. By evaluating this tool in a dengue-endemic setting, the Sri Lankan AEGIS program is generating critical evidence to guide global implementation strategies for vector control and complementing existing prevention measures.

Please find the WHO announcement here: https://lnkd.in/dW4NBSqt