Thanks for writing this up; super interesting, and it does seem like a cluster RCT would be a good idea. Two questions:
1) You’re seeking additional funding, which understandably leads you to highlight ways in which Zzapp is promising. Would you mind also highlighting what you view as being the biggest downsides of the intervention (i.e., if it were to wind up being less cost-effective than LLINs, why do you think that would be)?
2) You say one of your goals is to develop a cost-effective solution for rural areas. But why not just focus on evaluating/scaling this up in urban areas, where it looks most promising?
Hi thanks for your comment 1) Bed nets are a good example, but other interventions like house spraying, seasonal drugs for toddlers, and investing in diagnostics are also relevant. A separate post may be needed to discuss the best combination of interventions for different conditions. In brief, compared to bed nets, our interventions require strong implementation capabilities and government commitment, making the process more complex. Zzapp aims to simplify implementation, but it remains a challenging task. Kind of “deep” implementation.
2)That’s a great question! As malaria rates are higher in rural areas of Africa than in urban areas, we are still deciding whether to focus or expand. Our decision will be based on our internal resources, demand from countries, and potential impact.
Thanks for writing this up; super interesting, and it does seem like a cluster RCT would be a good idea. Two questions:
1) You’re seeking additional funding, which understandably leads you to highlight ways in which Zzapp is promising. Would you mind also highlighting what you view as being the biggest downsides of the intervention (i.e., if it were to wind up being less cost-effective than LLINs, why do you think that would be)?
2) You say one of your goals is to develop a cost-effective solution for rural areas. But why not just focus on evaluating/scaling this up in urban areas, where it looks most promising?
Hi thanks for your comment
1) Bed nets are a good example, but other interventions like house spraying, seasonal drugs for toddlers, and investing in diagnostics are also relevant. A separate post may be needed to discuss the best combination of interventions for different conditions.
In brief, compared to bed nets, our interventions require strong implementation capabilities and government commitment, making the process more complex. Zzapp aims to simplify implementation, but it remains a challenging task. Kind of “deep” implementation.
2)That’s a great question! As malaria rates are higher in rural areas of Africa than in urban areas, we are still deciding whether to focus or expand. Our decision will be based on our internal resources, demand from countries, and potential impact.