Sierra Leone Introduces Spatial Emanator In Malaria Prevention Drive
By Ibrahim Sorie Koroma
Senior Health Promotion Officer – HEP/MoH
Freetown, Sierra Leone – October 2026:
For a mother in a remote Sierra Leonean village, bedtime is supposed to be the moment when the day’s worries finally come to an end. But when the mosquitoes begin to buzz around the house, the night can bring another concern: malaria. Now, Sierra Leone is taking another step to bring malaria prevention closer to where families need it most—their homes.
From 6–20 October 2026, the Ministry of Health, through the National Malaria Control Programme and partners, will deploy 101,862 Spatial Emanators in Sittia and Dema Chiefdoms in Bonthe District, Yoni Mabanta and Poli Chiefdoms in Tonkolili District. The new technology will be placed directly inside eligible households, giving families an additional layer of protection against malaria transmission.
For families living far from health facilities, this is more than the arrival of a new piece of malaria technology. It is a reminder that malaria prevention must reach people where they live, sleep and raise their children.
Spatial Emanator is a new malaria preventive device designed to slowly release insecticide into the surrounding environment. The insecticide kills or weakens mosquitoes to settle and bite people, helping reduce the likelihood of mosquito bites that can transmit malaria parasites. The devices will be installed in households by trained Community Health Workers and other personnel during the deployment period.
Imagine a mother preparing her children for bed. Her mosquito net is in place. She knows she should sleep under it every night. But now, inside her home, another preventive measure is working alongside existing interventions.
That additional layer of protection is particularly important in communities where malaria remains a persistent threat. The message from the Ministry of Health is clear that malaria prevention cannot stop at the health facility, but it must reach the household.
Malaria remains one of Sierra Leone’s most serious public-health challenges. According to the WHO 2025 Sierra Leone malaria country profile, more than 8 million people were living in high-transmission areas in 2024. Sierra Leone reported approximately 2 million presumed and confirmed malaria cases, including about 1.9 million confirmed cases, and approximately 2,500 reported malaria deaths in 2024.
WHO estimates are higher, putting the country’s malaria burden at approximately 2.4 million cases and 6,600 deaths. Children under five, pregnant women and people living in communities with difficult access to health services remain particularly vulnerable.
Yet there is also reason for optimism. In 2024, reported malaria cases declined by approximately 14 percent, to about 2,023,764 cases. The annual malaria parasite incidence was approximately 213 cases per 1,000 populations. The figures suggest that Sierra Leone is moving in the right direction—but not yet fast enough to declare victory.
With support from the U.S Government, there seems to be a new chapter in an old fight. For decades, Sierra Leone’s malaria response has relied on a combination of interventions. Families have received insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). Communities have benefited from Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS). Pregnant women have received preventive treatment with Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP), while preventive treatment for infants has also been introduced. The country has simultaneously strengthened malaria testing, treatment, community-based services and behavior-change interventions.
In 2024, Sierra Leone also introduced the malaria vaccine for young children, adding another important tool to the country’s malaria prevention package. Each intervention represents another layer between the mosquito and its potential victim. As Spatial Emanators are now being added to that armory, they are not intended to replace mosquito nets, IRS, preventive medicines, vaccination or other recommended malaria interventions. Instead, they provide another layer of household protection.
As the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Health is poised to deploy new line of malaria defense (spatial emanators) in Sittia, Dema chiefdoms, Bonthe Municipality in Bonthe District, Yoni Mabanta and Poli chiefdoms in Tonkolili Districts, every household counts. From 6-20th October, Community Health Workers will move household-to-household in the targeted communities.
They will not simply hang a device and leave, their role will also be to explain to families what the Spatial Emanator is, why it is being introduced, where it should be placed and how it fits into the wider malaria prevention strategy. This education is critical. The success of the intervention will depend not only on the technology itself, but also on whether communities understand it, accept it and use it correctly.
Families will continue to be encouraged to sleep inside insecticide-treated nets every night and follow other recommended malaria prevention measures. For communities in Bonthe and Tonkolili, the arrival of more than 101,862 Spatial Emanators represents an important milestone and a message of hope.
Technology alone cannot eliminate malaria. The fight requires continued government leadership, committed health workers, strong community structures, supportive partners and families who understand and practice recommended preventive measures. Every mosquito bite prevented matters, every child protected matters and every pregnant woman protected matters. And every household reached brings Sierra Leone another step closer to a future where malaria is no longer a routine threat to families.
