1. The need for larval source management accompanying urban development projects in malaria endemic areas: a case study on Bioko Island
- Author
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Guillermo A. García, Godwin Fuseini, Olivier Tresor Donfack, Rachel N. Wofford, Jose Antonio Mba Nlang, Prudencio Bibang Efiri, Valeriano Oluy Nsue Maye, Thomas A. Weppelmann, David Galick, Wonder Philip Phiri, Kylie DeBoer, Jordan M. Smith, Jeremias Nzamio Mba Eyono, Matilde Riloha Rivas, Carlos A. Guerra, and Michael E. von Fricken
- Subjects
Infectious Diseases ,Mosquito Control ,Larva ,Anopheles ,Bacillus thuringiensis ,Pupa ,Animals ,Humans ,Parasitology ,Mosquito Vectors ,Urban Renewal ,Ecosystem ,Malaria - Abstract
Background In 2017, several new housing districts were constructed on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. This case study assessed the impact construction projects had on mosquito larval habitats and the effectiveness of larval source management in reducing malaria vector density within the surrounding area. Methods Anopheline larval presence was assessed at 11 new construction sites by the proportion of larval habitats containing Anopheline pupae and late instar larval stages. Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) larvicide was applied weekly to nine locations for 30 weeks, while two locations received no larvicide and acted as controls. Adult mosquito density was monitored via human landing collections in adjacent communities of six construction sites, including the two control sites. Results The sites that received Bti had significantly lower observation rates of both pupae (3.2% vs. 18.0%; p Anopheles spp. mosquitoes (14.1 vs. 43.6%; p Anopheles spp. accounted for 67% of mosquitoes collected with human landing collections and were captured at significantly lower levels in communities adjacent to treated construction sites compared to untreated sites (p Anopheles spp. pupae, late instars, and adult biting rates in adjacent communities to these sites all decreased to comparable levels across all sites. Conclusion Findings suggest larval source management represents an effective intervention to suppress mosquito populations during infrastructure development. Incorporating larval source management into ongoing and planned construction initiatives represents an opportunity to fine tune vector control in response to anthropogenetic changes. Ideally, this should become standard practice in malaria-endemic regions in order to reduce viable mosquito habitats that are common by-products of construction.
- Published
- 2022