Table 2. Organization of the national programmes of indoor residual spraying (IRS) against Phlebotomus argentipes in India and Nepal, as reported by the (vector-control) programme managers at district level in the three study areas.

	Response in:
Subject	India (Vaishali)	Nepal (Sarlahi)	Nepal (Sunsari)
staff knowledge and guidelines
Any training of vector-control management and, if so, where?	Yes, in the country	Yes, some senior officers trained outside the country	Yes, in the country (but malaria inspectors have no training)
Are vector-control guidelines available?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Knowledge about vector control guidelines	Adequate	Adequate	Adequate
Are vector-control guidelines followed during spraying?	Yes	Yes	Yes
insecticides and spraying
Selection criterion for district/villages considered in need of IRS	All endemic districts (2007) or according to recent incidence of visceral leishmaniasis in the district (2008)	According to recent incidence of visceral leishmaniasis in the village	According to recent incidence of visceral leishmaniasis in the village
How many houses should be covered by each spray team?	60–80 (according to national guidelines)	36 (not mentioned in the guidelines)	36 (not mentioned in the guidelines)
How much insecticidal formulation (as supplied by manufacturer) should be used per house and per person in a target village?	175–233 g/house and 37.5 g/person	37.5 g/house and 7.5 g/person	37.5 g/house and 7.5 g/person
When should spraying occur (ideally before and at peak of vector season)?	February/March and May/June	April/May and August/September*	March/April and September/October*
How many spray teams were used in the last cycle?	110	27	6 (i.e. two spray groups)
How many spray pumps in the district are working/available?	177/237 (74.7%)	35/37 (94.6%)	24/84 (28.6%)
Do you have enough pumps and accessories for vector control?	No	No	No
Do you have a dedicated storeroom in which to keep insecticides?	Only some primary-healthcare units have separate stores	Separate store in the capital but not at district level	Separate store in the capital but not at district level
Do you recommend and provide protection for those handling insecticides, such as:
Masks?	No	Yes	No
Gloves?	No	Yes	No
Coats/aprons?	No	No	No
Caps?	No	Yes	No
Boots?	No	No	No
Eye protection?	No	No	No
How do you dispose of any unwanted insecticide or empty packaging contaminated with insecticide?	Empty sachets are buried	Sacks are burned and insecticides are buried	Pouches and sacks are burned or buried
achievements (direct results)
Are record forms available?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Are records complete?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Are reporting deadlines met or exceeded by <1 week?	Yes	Yes	Yes
What was the target population for the first cycle in 2008 (and the percentage covered, as reported by spraying teams)?	580,282 (99.6%)	22,509 (20.26%)†	32,945 (100%)

^*Constituency elections in Nepal led to the spraying cycles in 2008 being conducted later than usual, in May/June and November.

^†In Sarlahi, much of the spraying was focal, with the focus on villages where cases of visceral leishmaniasis had recently occurred.