Ecology and Epidemiology of Integrated Malaria Vector Management

Malaria remains a major contributor to the§global burden of disease especially in Sub-Saharan§Africa. Even though more than 50% of the African§population will live in towns and cities by 2030,§little is known about urban malaria epidemiology and§mosquito behavior. Therefore the goal of this§research was to enhance current understanding of§urban malaria epidemiology and ecology and at the§same time to take an in-depth look at the§effectiveness of larviciding with Bacillus§thuringiensis (Bti) in the context of the Urban§Malaria Control Program (UMCP) in Dar es Salaam,§Tanzania. The study revealed that Anopheles species§in this city are exophagic and that An. arabiensis§even had an early biting peak before 10pm. Therefore§insecticide treated nets (ITNs) only conferred 59%§protection against exposure to An. gambiae s.s. and§38% protection against exposure to An. arabiensis.§Nevertheless ITNs reduced malaria prevalence by about§one fifth but the highest prevalence reduction was§achieved by application of Bti. The UMCP demonstrated§for the first time since the Global Eradication§Campaign era, a success story of a malaria control§program integrating larviciding.