Ecology of African Highland Malaria

Objectives

The central objective of this project is to determine the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of EPA-approved long-lasting microbial larvicides in reducing malaria transmission and clinical malaria incidence in western Kenya highlands.

The three specific aims are:

1. to examine mechanisms regulating larval habitat productivity,
2. to determine the efficacy of long-lasting microbial larvicides on the reduction of malaria transmission and clinical malaria incidence using a cluster randomized study, and
3. to determine the cost-effectiveness of the long-lasting microbial larviciding program as compared to other malaria control interventions and evaluate its impact on non-target organisms.

Through comprehensive evaluation of potentially cost-effective long-lasting microbial larvicides, this project will provide critically needed data on whether long-lasting microbial larvicides can be scaled up as a supplemental malaria control tool to further reduce malaria incidence in African highlands. Malaria outdoor transmission control is presently a highly significant and urgent issue in malaria control across Africa, and thus, our results will have broad implications on malaria prevention and control in endemic and epidemic regions of Africa.