Malaria transmission pattern resilience to climatic variability is mediated by insecticide-treated nets

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria is an important public-health problem in the archipelago of Vanuatu and climate has been hypothesized as important influence on transmission risk. Beginning in 1988, a major intervention using insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) was implemented in the country in an attempt to reduce <it>Plasmodium </it>transmission. To date, no study has addressed the impact of ITN intervention in Vanuatu, how it may have modified the burden of disease, and whether there were any changes in malaria incidence that might be related to climatic drivers.</p> <p>Methods and findings</p> <p>Monthly time series (January 1983 through December 1999) of confirmed <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>and <it>Plasmodium vivax </it>infections in the archipelago were analysed. During this 17 year period, malaria dynamics underwent a major regime shift around May 1991, following the introduction of bed nets as a control strategy in the country. By February of 1994 disease incidence from both parasites was reduced by at least 50%, when at most 20% of the population at risk was covered by ITNs. Seasonal cycles, as expected, were strongly correlated with temperature patterns, while inter-annual cycles were associated with changes in precipitation. Following the bed net intervention, the influence of environmental drivers of malaria dynamics was reduced by 30–80% for climatic forces, and 33–54% for other factors. A time lag of about five months was observed for the qualitative change ("regime shift") between the two parasites, the change occurring first for <it>P. falciparum</it>. The latter might be explained by interspecific interactions between the two parasites within the human hosts and their distinct biology, since <it>P. vivax </it>can relapse after a primary infection.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Vanuatu ITN programme represents an excellent example of implementing an infectious disease control programme. The distribution was undertaken to cover a large, local proportion (~80%) of people in villages where malaria was present. The successful coverage was possible because of the strategy for distribution of ITNs by prioritizing the free distribution to groups with restricted means for their acquisition, making the access to this resource equitable across the population. These results emphasize the need to implement infectious disease control programmes focusing on the most vulnerable populations.</p

Hot temperatures can force delayed mosquito outbreaks via sequential changes in Aedes aegypti demographic parameters in autocorrelated environments

Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae) is a common pantropical urban mosquito, vector of dengue, Yellow Fever and chikungunya viruses. Studies have shown Ae. aegypti abundance to be associated with environmental fluctuations, revealing patterns such as the occurrence of delayed mosquito outbreaks, i.e., sudden extraordinary increases in mosquito abundance following transient extreme high temperatures. Here, we use a two-stage (larvae and adults) matrix model to propose a mechanism for environmental signal canalization into demographic parameters of Ae. aegypti that could explain delayed high temperature induced mosquito outbreaks. We performed model simulations using parameters estimated from a weekly time series from Thailand, assuming either independent or autocorrelated environments. For autocorrelated environments, we found that long delays in the association between the onset of "hot" environments and mosquito outbreaks (10 weeks, as observed in Thailand) can be generated when "hot" environments sequentially trigger a larval survival decrease and over-compensatory fecundity increase, which lasts for the whole "hot" period, in conjunction with a larval survival increase followed by a fecundity decrease when the environment returns to "normal". This result was not observed for independent environments. Finally, we discuss our results implications for prospective entomological research and vector management under changing environments

MLK Week 2020: Ricardo Levins Morales Keynote

The keynote speaker Ricardo Levins Morales presents at the Quadrangle Building at Saint John\u27s University. Cosponsored by the following groups: Academic Affairs, Admission, Anthropology Department, Art Department, CSB Campus Ministry, CSB President\u27s Office, CSB Residence Life, CSB Student Development, CSBSJU Libraries, Department of Theology, Education Department, Environmental Studies Department, Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement, Fine Arts Programming, Intercultural and International Student Services, Joint Events Council, Languages and Cultures Department, SJU Campus Ministry, SJU President\u27s Office, SJU School of Theology, SJU Student Development, United Way of Central Minnesota

Pride at Work poster featuring labor movement and LGBT rights symbols, undated

Pride at Work featuring labor movement and LGBT rights symbols by Ricardo Levins Morales, undated. For complete collection information, visit the full finding aid at https://hdl.handle.net/1903.1/4664