Abstract
BackgroundEthiopia has made great strides in malaria control over the last two decades. However, this progress has not been uniform and one concern has been reported high rates of malaria transmission in large agricultural development areas in western Ethiopia. Improved vector control is one way this transmission might be addressed, but little is known about malaria vectors in this part of the country.MethodsTo better understand the vector species involved in malaria transmission and their behaviour, human landing collections were conducted in Dangur woreda, Benishangul-Gumuz, between July and December 2017. This period encompasses the months with the highest rain and the peak mosquito population. Mosquitoes were identified to species and tested for the presence of Plasmodium sporozoites.ResultsThe predominant species of the Anopheles collected was Anopheles arabiensis (1,733; i.e. 61.3 % of the entire Anopheles), which was also the only species identified with sporozoites (Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax). Anopheles arabiensis was collected as early in the evening as 18:00 h-19:00 h, and host-seeking continued until 5:00 h-6:00 h. Nearly equal numbers were collected indoors and outdoors. The calculated entomological inoculation rate for An. arabiensis for the study period was 1.41 infectious bites per month. More An. arabiensis were collected inside and outside worker’s shelters than in fields where workers were working at night.ConclusionsAnopheles arabiensis is likely to be the primary vector of malaria in the agricultural development areas studied. High rates of human biting took place inside and outdoor near workers’ residential housing. Improved and targeted vector control in this area might considerably reduce malaria transmission.
Highlights
Ethiopia has made great strides in malaria control over the last two decades
This study aimed to provide the entomological context of malaria transmission in agricultural settings in this area in tandem with a second study investigating the human behaviour in agricultural development areas
Long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN) use by migrant workers was almost none, as they often left their nets with their families when they came to the farms for work and the farm owners do not provide any [16]
Summary
Ethiopia has made great strides in malaria control over the last two decades. This progress has not been uniform and one concern has been reported high rates of malaria transmission in large agricultural development areas in western Ethiopia. It is estimated that the scale-up of the major interventions, In Ethiopia, malaria is still an important cause of morbidity and mortality as in other countries in tropical. In order to achieve this goal, it is important to understand when and where malaria is being transmitted, both at large and small-scale levels. This is important for planning appropriate malaria control strategies and their efficient implementation
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