Co-creating solutions to address gaps in outdoor malaria transmission with local communities: an exploratory study in Busia County, western Kenya

Malaria, a disease spread by mosquitoes, is a major challenge in lake endemic regions of Kenya. The main tools used to fight mosquitoes that spread malaria are bed nets treated with insecticides and spraying homes with insecticides. Busia County, the proposed study site, relies primarily on these indoor mosquito control interventions, mainly insecticide-treated nets. Outdoor biting mosquitos and insecticide resistant mosquitos are among the leading challenges to ending malaria. To continue making progress, it is important to involve people impacted by malaria in finding solutions to their own public health issues. We seek to develop people-centered solutions to improve malaria prevention efforts by engaging people most impacted by the disease throughout the research and design process to develop solutions to outdoor malaria exposure. This will provide a model for future work by engaging affected communities as true partners in identifying solutions to the challenges they face.