Briët Olivier J T
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.
University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Malariaworld J. 2012 Apr 15;3:4. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10977870. eCollection 2012.
In recent years, many millions of bednets have been distributed to combat malaria. However, a substantial proportion of the recipients do not use their nets at all or year-round. The major stated reason for this is that they are hot and stuffy to sleep under during hot weather. A fan could bring relief by replacing the air inside the net, and also by providing wind to increase convective heat loss and heat loss by evaporation. However, a fan appears to be out of reach for those without access to electricity.
The question arises whether or not a low cost, low energy solar fan system comprising of a pedestal mounted fan suitable for use inside bednets, a deep cycle battery and a small solar panel, might increase net usage and be affordable to off-grid populations at risk of malaria.
This could be tested in a rural tropical setting by distributing solar net fan systems to random households owning nets. Net use behaviour of participants would be monitored regularly, and at the end of the study, the economic value would be assessed by willingness to accept and willingness to pay surveys.
If low energy solar net fan systems are affordable, they could improve the quality of life of people living in off-grid tropical conditions, by providing cooling and also by powering small lights, which could replace candles and kerosene lamps, which are a major cause of holes in nets. If the net fan systems also enhance bednet use, they could contribute to reducing transmission of malaria and other diseases transmitted by insects at night, also at times when the nuisance of mosquitoes is deemed insufficient to suffer the inconvenience of sleeping under a ventilation blocking net.
近年来，已分发了数百万顶蚊帐用于抗击疟疾。然而，相当一部分接受者根本不使用蚊帐或并非全年使用。主要原因是在炎热天气下睡在蚊帐里会闷热。风扇可以通过更换蚊帐内的空气，以及提供风来增加对流热损失和蒸发散热，从而带来缓解。然而，对于那些无法获得电力的人来说，风扇似乎遥不可及。
问题在于，一种由适合在蚊帐内使用的落地式风扇、深循环电池和小型太阳能板组成的低成本、低能耗太阳能风扇系统，是否能增加蚊帐的使用率，并且对于面临疟疾风险的离网人群来说是否负担得起。
这可以在农村热带地区进行测试，向拥有蚊帐的随机家庭分发太阳能蚊帐风扇系统。定期监测参与者的蚊帐使用行为，在研究结束时，通过接受意愿和支付意愿调查来评估其经济价值。
如果低能耗太阳能蚊帐风扇系统价格合理，它们可以改善生活在离网热带环境中的人们的生活质量，通过提供凉爽，还可以为小灯供电，小灯可以取代蜡烛和煤油灯，而蜡烛和煤油灯是蚊帐出现破洞的主要原因。如果蚊帐风扇系统还能提高蚊帐的使用率，它们可以有助于减少疟疾和其他夜间通过昆虫传播的疾病的传播，即使在认为蚊子滋扰不足以让人忍受睡在通风受阻的蚊帐下的不便的时候。
