Consistently high estimates for the proportion of human exposure to malaria vector populations occurring indoors in rural Africa

Huho, B., Briet, O., Seyoum, Aklilu, Sikaala, Chadwick, Bayoh, N., Gimnig, J., Okumu, F., Diallo, D., Abdulla, S., Smith, T. and Killeen, Gerry ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8583-8739 (2013) 'Consistently high estimates for the proportion of human exposure to malaria vector populations occurring indoors in rural Africa'. International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol 42, Issue 1, pp. 235-247.

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Abstract

Background

Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) are highly effective tools for controlling malaria transmission in Africa because the most important vectors, from the Anopheles gambiae complex and the A. funestus group, usually prefer biting humans indoors at night.

Methods

Matched surveys of mosquito and human behaviour from six rural sites in Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Zambia, and Kenya, with ITN use ranging from 0.2% to 82.5%, were used to calculate the proportion of human exposure to An. gambiae sensu lato and An. funestus s.l. that occurs indoors (πi), as an indicator of the upper limit of personal protection that indoor vector control measures can provide. This quantity was also estimated through use of a simplified binary analysis (πiB) so that the proportions of mosquitoes caught indoors (Pi), and between the first and last hours at which most people are indoors (Pfl) could also be calculated as underlying indicators of feeding by mosquitoes indoors or at night, respectively.

Results

The vast majority of human exposure to Anopheles bites occurred indoors (πBi = 0.79–1.00). Neither An. gambiae s.l. nor An. funestus s.l. strongly preferred feeding indoors (Pi = 0.40–0.63 and 0.22–0.69, respectively), but they overwhelmingly preferred feeding at times when most humans were indoors (Pfl = 0.78–1.00 and 0.86–1.00, respectively).

Conclusions

These quantitative summaries of behavioural interactions between humans and mosquitoes constitute a remarkably consistent benchmark with which future observations of vector behaviour can be compared. Longitudinal monitoring of these quantities is vital to evaluate the effectiveness of ITNs and IRS and the need for complementary measures that target vectors outdoors.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	QX Parasitology > Insects. Other Parasites > QX 650 Insect vectors WA Public Health > Preventive Medicine > WA 110 Prevention and control of communicable diseases. Transmission of infectious diseases WA Public Health > Preventive Medicine > WA 240 Disinfection. Disinfestation. Pesticides (including diseases caused by) WA Public Health > Health Problems of Special Population Groups > WA 395 Health in developing countries WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 750 Malaria
Faculty: Department:	Biological Sciences > Vector Biology Department
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dys214
Depositing User:	Lynn Roberts-Maloney
Date Deposited:	11 Feb 2015 11:00
Last Modified:	16 Sep 2019 10:12
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/4874

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