A new Unitaid-funded project will investigate how and where spatial emanators – a promising new vector control tool to prevent malaria – can be deployed effectively in malaria-endemic countries. Led by Swiss TPH, in collaboration with partners in different countries, the CONVINCE project will generate real-world evidence to support their wider use alongside existing malaria prevention measures.
Malaria-transmitting Anopheles stephensi mosquito (Photo: J. Pelikan, Swiss TPH)
Although substantial progress has been made in the fight against malaria in the past two decades, it remains a major global health burden with an estimated 282 million malaria cases and more than 610,000 deaths globally in 2024. Current interventions against malaria alone are insufficient to substantially reduce the burden and a combination of different prevention measures is required. Yet many malaria-endemic countries must take decisions about which interventions to prioritise with limited resources. At the same time, insecticide resistance, rising costs and recent disruptions to malaria funding are putting additional pressure on national malaria programmes.
Need for real-world evidence on the deployment of spatial emanators
New tools such as spatial emanators could provide additional protection against malaria. Spatial emanators are passive devices that release a volatile active ingredient into the surrounding space impacting the malaria-transmitting Anopheles mosquito behaviour by reducing host-seeking, biting and general survival. Spatial emanators could complement existing malaria prevention measures such as insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS). Unlike bed nets, spatial emanators can also protect people while they are active at home during the day. This may also provide protection against day-biting mosquitoes including Aedes, which can transmit viral diseases such as dengue.
In 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) conditionally recommended the use of spatial emanators indoors alongside insecticide-treated nets in areas with ongoing malaria transmission for its control. However, important evidence gaps remain around their effectiveness, implementation and use in different settings and against a range of mosquito vectors, and how they can be made widely, equitably and sustainably available.
“Our aim is to generate real-world evidence on how and under what contexts spatial emanators can complement existing malaria prevention measures. The findings will inform WHO guidance, support countries in making evidence-based decisions and ultimately contribute to reducing the burden of malaria,” said Nakul Chitnis, project leader at Swiss TPH.
In the CONVINCE (Country Operationalized Novel Vector Interventions for Malaria Control) project, Swiss TPH researchers will work with partners in selected countries and global partners to study how spatial emanators perform under real-world conditions and to support market entry of new products. They will assess the impact of spatial emanators, their costs and practical implementation, as well as community acceptance and market readiness. Additionally, the project aims to better understand how the device impacts mosquitoes when used alone or in combination with other vector control tools, as well as indoors or outdoors, and to support selected manufacturers in generating the data needed to receive WHO prequalification for new spatial emanator products. This evidence will help identify how spatial emanators can be introduced effectively, sustainably and in ways that respond to local needs.
“Spatial emanators have the potential to expand the options available to countries to protect people from malaria, but innovation alone does not deliver impact. Unitaid is investing in CONVINCE to help address the evidence, market and supply barriers that can stand in the way of access. By supporting the evidence needed for country adoption and helping build a stable and competitive supply of spatial emanators, we can help ensure this promising new tool is available to the countries and communities that need it most,” said Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid.
CONVINCE will work alongside the CANVeCT (Catalysing the Adoption of a Novel Vector Control Toolbox) consortium led by the Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases in Cameroon (CRID). Both projects are supported by Unitaid as part of efforts to strengthen the evidence base and address access barriers to expand the range of malaria vector control tools available to countries.
For media enquiries, please contact communications@swisstph.ch.
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