EXPANDING INDOOR RESIDUAL SPRAYING FRONTIERS OF KNOWLEDGE FOR IMPACT AND MALARIA ELIMINATION: A TALE OF INNOVATIONS AND INSIGHTS, ZAMBIA

Vector control practitioners` failure to innovate stays in the inability or reluctance to adopt major frontiers of knowledge, as this may be attributed to the legacy content of “we know it all,” believing there has been continued success within the “thinking box” and not “thinking outside the box”. As a result, vector control practitioners fail to seek new innovations and opportunities, hampering continued success. This paper shows that the role of innovation for vector control improvements has been by commitment (Buy-in and collaboration), empathy (Passion and assessment), defining problems and ideation (Team work & planning), prototype (Implementation & availability of resources; human, material and financial), Pilot testing (Evaluation of the innovation), good financial allocation (Resource mobilization & allocation), outcomes (Behaviour change, status of disease rates, community empowerment & impact). In this respect, three known paradoxes of innovations have been identified; first, that some innovations diffuse rapidly, yet are of un proven value or limited value or pose risks, while other innovations could deliver benefits to the public but remain slow to achieve uptake. Second, community participation including collaboration with stakeholders and partners may be the best way of achieving sustainable positive innovation. Third, innovations clearly depend upon change that generates new challenges. In this regard, vector control improvements of systems may struggle to keep up with the pace of innovation, narrowly focused on new system- wide practices and technologies. In summary, a new recognition of challenges of innovation have been proposed and arguably that there is a need to address new approaches along with “thinking outside the box”.