Detection of kdr and ace-1 mutations in wild populations of Anopheles arabiensis and An. melas in a residual malaria transmission area of Senegal.

In the central western Senegal, malaria transmission has been reduced low due to the combination of several effective control interventions. However, despite this encouraging achievement, residual malaria transmission still occurring in few areas, mainly ensured by An. arabiensis and An. melas. The resurgence or the persistence of the disease may have originated from the increase and the spread of insecticide resistance genes among natural malaria vectors populations. Therefore, assessing the status and mechanisms of insecticides resistance among targeted malaria vectors is of highest importance to better characterize factors underlying the residual transmission where it occurs. Malaria vectors were collected from three selected villages using nocturnal human landing catches (HLC) and pyrethrum spray collections (PSC) methods. An. gambiae s.l. specimens were identified at the species level then genotyped for the presence of kdr-west (L1014F), kdr-east (L1014S) and ace-1R mutations by qPCR. An. arabiensis (69.36%) and An. melas (27.99%) were the most common species of the Gambiae complex in the study area. Among An. arabiensis population, the allelic frequency of the kdr-east (22.66%) was relatively higher than for kdr-west mutation (9.96%). While for An. melas populations, the overall frequencies of both mutations were very low, being respectively 1.12% and 0.40% for the L1014S and L1014F mutations. With a global frequency of 2%, only the heterozygous form of the G119S mutation was found only in An. arabiensis and in all the study sites. The widespread occurrence of the kdr mutation in both An. arabiensis and An. melas natural populations, respectively the main and focal vectors in the central-western Senegal, may have contributed to maintaining malaria transmission in the area. Thus, compromising the effectiveness of pyrethroids-based vector control measures and the National Elimination Goal. Therefore, monitoring and managing properly insecticide resistance became a key programmatic intervention to achieve the elimination goal where feasible, as aimed by Senegal. Noteworthy, this is the first report of the ace-1 mutation in natural populations of An. arabiensis from Senegal, which need to be closely monitored to preserve one of the essential insecticide classes used in IRS to control the pyrethroids-resistant populations

HIV Risk among MSM in Senegal: A Qualitative Rapid Assessment of the Impact of Enforcing Laws That Criminalize Same Sex Practices

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk for HIV in Senegal, with a prevalence of 21.5%. In December 2008, nine male HIV prevention workers were imprisoned for “acts against nature” prohibited by Senegalese law. This qualitative study assessed the impact of these arrests on HIV prevention efforts. A purposive sample of MSM in six regions of Senegal was recruited by network referral. 26 in-depth interviews (IDIs) and 6 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in July–August 2009. 14 key informants were also interviewed. All participants reported pervasive fear and hiding among MSM as a result of the December 2008 arrests and publicity. Service providers suspended HIV prevention work with MSM out of fear for their own safety. Those who continued to provide services noticed a sharp decline in MSM participation. An effective response to the HIV epidemic in Senegal should include active work to decrease enforcement of this law

Blame, Symbolic Stigma and HIV Misconceptions are Associated with Support for Coercive Measures in Urban India

This study was designed to examine the prevalence of stigma and its underlying factors in two large Indian cities. Cross-sectional interview data were collected from 1,076 non-HIV patients in multiple healthcare settings in Mumbai and Bengaluru, India. The vast majority of participants supported mandatory testing for marginalized groups and coercive family policies for PLHA, stating that they “deserved” their infections and “didn’t care” about infecting others. Most participants did not want to be treated at the same clinic or use the same utensils as PLHA and transmission misconceptions were common. Multiple linear regression showed that blame, transmission misconceptions, symbolic stigma and negative feelings toward PLHA were significantly associated with both stigma and discrimination. The results indicate an urgent need for continued stigma reduction efforts to reduce the suffering of PLHA and barriers to prevention and treatment. Given the high levels of blame and endorsement of coercive policies, it is crucial that such programs are shaped within a human rights framework

The future of African nowcasting

Nowcasting (weather forecasting predictions from zero to several hours) has enormous value and potential in Africa, where populations and economic activity are highly vulnerable to rapidly changing weather conditions. Timely issuing of warnings, a few hours before an event, can enable the public and decision-makers to take action. Rainfall radar estimates are not widely available in Africa, nor likely to be in the coming years, and numerical weather prediction (NWP) currently has low skill over the African continent. Therefore, for the delivery of nowcasting in Africa, satellite products are the best practical option and needed urgently (Roberts et al., 2021). Fifteen minute (or faster) updates of MSG (Meteosat Second Generation) images and NWC-SAF (Nowcasting Satellite Applications Facility) products are crucial for nowcasting to warn users (e.g. fisherfolk on Lake Victoria, flooding in urban areas, etc.) on pending severe storms. The possibility to have such products every 10 minutes, as well as data from the forthcoming MTG (Meteosat Third Generation) lightning imager, would be highly beneficial to all African countries, saving lives and livelihoods where high population growth and the most extreme impacts of climate change combine

Antibody-independent mechanisms regulate the establishment of chronic Plasmodium infection

Malaria is caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. All human-infecting Plasmodium species can establish long-lasting chronic infections1–5, creating an infectious reservoir to sustain transmission1,6. It is widely accepted that maintenance of chronic infection involves evasion of adaptive immunity by antigenic variation7. However, genes involved in this process have been identified in only two of five human-infecting species: P. falciparum and P. knowlesi. Furthermore, little is understood about the early events in establishment of chronic infection in these species. Using a rodent model we demonstrate that only a minority of parasites from among the infecting population, expressing one of several clusters of virulence-associated pir genes, establishes a chronic infection. This process occurs in different species of parasite and in different hosts. Establishment of chronicity is independent of adaptive immunity and therefore different from the mechanism proposed for maintainance of chronic P. falciparum infections7–9. Furthermore, we show that the proportions of parasites expressing different types of pir genes regulate the time taken to establish a chronic infection. Since pir genes are common to most, if not all, species of Plasmodium10, this process may be a common way of regulating the establishment of chronic infections