TY - JOUR
T1 - Wind direction and proximity to larval sites determines malaria risk in Kilifi District in Kenya
AU - Midega, Janet T.
AU - Smith, Dave L.
AU - Olotu, Ally
AU - Mwangangi, Joseph M.
AU - Nzovu, Joseph G.
AU - Wambua, Juliana
AU - Nyangweso, George
AU - Mbogo, Charles M.
AU - Christophides, George K.
AU - Marsh, Kevin
AU - Bejon, Philip
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Studies of the fine-scale spatial epidemiology of malaria consistently identify malaria hotspots, comprising clusters of homesteads at high transmission intensity. These hotspots sustain transmission, and may be targeted by malaria-control programmes. Here we describe the spatial relationship between the location of Anopheles larval sites and human malaria infection in a cohort study of 642 children, aged 1-10-years-old. Our data suggest that proximity to larval sites predict human malaria infection, when homesteads are upwind of larval sites, but not when homesteads are downwind of larval sites. We conclude that following oviposition, female Anophelines fly upwind in search for human hosts and, thus, malaria transmission may be disrupted by targeting vector larval sites in close proximity, and downwind to malaria hotspots.
AB - Studies of the fine-scale spatial epidemiology of malaria consistently identify malaria hotspots, comprising clusters of homesteads at high transmission intensity. These hotspots sustain transmission, and may be targeted by malaria-control programmes. Here we describe the spatial relationship between the location of Anopheles larval sites and human malaria infection in a cohort study of 642 children, aged 1-10-years-old. Our data suggest that proximity to larval sites predict human malaria infection, when homesteads are upwind of larval sites, but not when homesteads are downwind of larval sites. We conclude that following oviposition, female Anophelines fly upwind in search for human hosts and, thus, malaria transmission may be disrupted by targeting vector larval sites in close proximity, and downwind to malaria hotspots.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84863293178&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84863293178&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/ncomms1672
DO - 10.1038/ncomms1672
M3 - Article
C2 - 22334077
AN - SCOPUS:84863293178
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 3
JO - Nature communications
JF - Nature communications
M1 - 674
ER -