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STRONG ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HOUSE CHARACTERISTICS AND MALARIA VECTORS IN SRI LANKA

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.

Received June 14, 2002. Accepted for publication October 10, 2002.

Acknowledgments: We are sad to report the untimely and tragic death of one of the co-authors, Maldeniya Piyaratne, a dedicated and hard-working young researcher and a good friend. We thank Mala Ranawake for her central role in database management and other essential support services. Also, we greatly appreciate the efforts of Ms. Ranawake and Lal Muttuwatta in producing geo-referenced maps of the study area. This study would not have been possible without the strong support of the government entomologic teams in Anuradhapura.

Financial support: This work was funded by grants to the International Water Management Institute by the government of Japan and the Danish International Development Agency.

Reprint requests: Wim van der Hoek, Bierstalpad 37, 1121 JK Landsmeer, Netherlands, Telephone: +31-20-4826312, Fax: +94-1-786854, E-mail: w.van-der-hoek{at}cgiar.org

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