The Effect of Insecticide-Treated Mosquito Nets (ITMNs) on Japanese Encephalitis Virus Seroconversion in Pigs and Humans

The effect of insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITMNs) on Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus seroconversion in pigs and humans was studied in Assam, Northeast India. A sharp reduction of seroconversion rate in human and pig was found in treated localities after intervention. A marked reduction was achieved in humans (risk ratio [RR] = 0.28. 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.16-0.49) and pigs (RR = 0.21, CI = 0.11-0.40) in the Kollolua locality where ITMNs were used on both humans and pigs compared with the other two area, Athabari and Rajmai, where ITMNs were covering only either humans or pigs. Monitoring of the mosquito population in and around cattle sheds during dusk revealed no significant decline (P > 0.05) of vector density during the post-intervention period in study localities. In spite of the high preponderance of potential JE vector outdoors during the post-intervention period, an encouraging line of defense against circulation of JE virus through the use of ITMNs can be achieved in endemic areas.