Abstract
IntroductionHigh malaria transmission heterogeneity in an urban environment is basically due to the complex distribution of Anopheles larval habitats, sources of vectors. Understanding 1) the meteorological and ecological factors associated with differential larvae spatio-temporal distribution and 2) the vectors dynamic, both may lead to improving malaria control measures with remote sensing and high resolution data as key components. In this study a robust operational methodology for entomological malaria predictive risk maps in urban settings is developed.MethodsThe Tele-epidemiology approach, i.e., 1) intensive ground measurements (Anopheles larval habitats and Human Biting Rate, or HBR), 2) selection of the most appropriate satellite data (for mapping and extracting environmental and meteorological information), and 3) use of statistical models taking into account the spatio-temporal data variability has been applied in Dakar, Senegal.ResultsFirst step was to detect all water bodies in Dakar. Secondly, environmental and meteorological conditions in the vicinity of water bodies favoring the presence of Anopheles gambiae s.l. larvae were added. Then relationship between the predicted larval production and the field measured HBR was identified, in order to generate An. gambiae s.l. HBR high resolution maps (daily, 10-m pixel in space).Discussion and ConclusionA robust operational methodology for dynamic entomological malaria predictive risk maps in an urban setting includes spatio-temporal variability of An. gambiae s.l. larval habitats and An. gambiae s.l. HBR. The resulting risk maps are first examples of high resolution products which can be included in an operational warning and targeting system for the implementation of vector control measures.
Highlights
High malaria transmission heterogeneity in an urban environment is basically due to the complex distribution of Anopheles larval habitats, sources of vectors
Mosquitoes emerging from larval habitats have a somewhat limited flying range which depends on environmental conditions
In the global univariate and multivariate analysis, the SPOT-5 Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) of the rainy season and the SPOT-5 NDVI of the dry season were positively associated with the presence of water while the SPOT-5 built-up area and the altitude from Digital Elevation Model (DEM) were negatively associated
Summary
High malaria transmission heterogeneity in an urban environment is basically due to the complex distribution of Anopheles larval habitats, sources of vectors. The location of the vectors larval habitats and their dynamics are the primary determinants of the spatial and temporal distribution of malaria transmission. Malaria risk is heterogeneous in space and time, as it is driven by the vicinity and dynamics of the larval habitats. The number of larval habitats is more limited in cities were blood meal sources are more abundant, leading to lower vectors dispersal (a few hundreds of meters) in highly-populated urban settings [2,3,4,5,6] compared to open rural areas, where dispersal may reach several kilometers [7]. Malaria transmission heterogeneity is higher within cities and may vary from district to district like in Brazzaville [8] or Dakar [2,9]
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