Strong association between house characteristics and malaria vectors in Sri Lanka

Flemming Konradsen, Priyanie Amerasinghe, Wim van der Hoek, Felix Amerasinghe, Devika Perera, Maldeniya Piyaratne

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    70 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The objective of this study was to determine whether house characteristics could be used to further refine the residual insecticide-spraying program in Sri Lanka. Indoor-resting mosquito densities were estimated in 473 houses based on fortnightly collections over a two-and-a-half-year period. The type of house construction and the exact location of all houses were determined. In a multivariate analysis, distance of less than 750 meters between a house and the main vector-breeding site was strongly associated with the presence of Anopheles culicifacies in the house (odds ratio [OR] 4.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.4-6.8) and to a lesser extent with the presence of An. subpictus (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.7). Poor housing construction also was an independent risk factor (OR for An. culicifacies 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.9; OR for An. subpictus 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.6). It is recommended that a malaria control strategy focus on residential areas within 750 meters of streams and rivers, with special attention given to areas with the poorest type of house construction.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalAmerican Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
    Volume68
    Issue number2
    Pages (from-to)177-81
    Number of pages4
    ISSN0002-9637
    Publication statusPublished - 2003

    Bibliographical note

    Keywords: Animals; Anopheles; Environment; Housing; Humans; Insect Vectors; Malaria; Mosquito Control; Risk Factors; Seasons; Sri Lanka

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