Empowering malaria control operations
Twice as cost-effective
as bed nets in urban areas
In collaboration with the ministry of health in São Tomé and Príncipe, Zzapp conducted an 8-month larviciding operation covering 125 square kilometers of urban and rural areas, home to approximately 166,000 people.
We succeeded in reducing the mosquito population by 74.9% and malaria cases by 52.5% at a cost of approximately $0.44 PPP in urban areas, which is twice as cost-effective as today’s leading method, bed nets.
Successful urban larviciding in Ghana
Zzapp has partnered with AGAMal, a leading malaria control organization based in Ghana, to conduct a controlled trial examining the impact of larviciding guided by Zzapp in Obuasi, a city of more than 200,000 people.
The operation reduced the malaria-transmitting mosquito population by 60% compared to a control. The cost per person protected was less than 4% of a typical house spraying intervention in the area.
Malaria elimination strategies powered by AI
The Zzapp software system supports the planning and implementation of malaria elimination operations, as well as mosquito surveillance activities.
By analyzing satellite images and topographical maps, Zzapp’s AI identifies malaria transmission hotspots and optimizes malaria elimination strategies for each location. Our map-based mobile app conveys the AI strategies to field workers as simple instructions, ensuring accurate implementation and quick feedback from the field.
In addition, our system uses water body sampling data and AI-guided positioning of mosquito traps to measure the size, type, and spread of mosquito populations over time.
The Burden of Malaria
Malaria, a disease caused by a mosquito-borne blood parasite, kills more than 600,000 people per year. Children under 5 are especially vulnerable, and account for more than 85% of victims. While 95% of malaria cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa, over 40% of the world’s population is at risk of contracting the disease.
600,000
deaths per year
Children under 5
at highest risk
Children under 5
at highest risk
More than 3 billion people at risk
Grand prize winner in the $5M IBM Watson AI XPRIZE
The IBM Watson AI XPRIZE challenged teams to demonstrate how humans can work with artificial intelligence to tackle global challenges. On June 23rd, 2021, Zzapp was announced the winner of the $3M grand prize in this prestigious competition.
Our Partners
With algorithms developed by:
Research Partners and Collaborators:
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology
AngloGold Ashanti Malaria Control
Prifysgol Aberystwyth University
The Manhiça Health Research Center
Mozambique Ministry of Health
Lonodon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
São Tomé and Príncipe Ministry of Health
Zanzibar Ministry of Health
Funders:
