Mapping and enumerating houses and households to support malaria control interventions on Bioko Island

Abstract Background Housing mapping and household enumeration are essential for the planning, implementation, targeting, and monitoring of malaria control interventions. In many malaria endemic countries, control efforts are hindered by incomplete or non-existent housing cartography and household en...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Malaria Journal
Main Authors: Guillermo A. García, Dianna E. B. Hergott, Wonder P. Phiri, Megan Perry, Jordan Smith, Jose Osa Osa Nfumu, Jeremías Nzamio, Godwin Fuseini, Thomas Stabler, Matilde Riloha Rivas, Immo Kleinschmidt, Christopher Schwabe, Carlos A. Guerra
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: BMC 2019
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-019-2920-x
https://doaj.org/article/782fc488baba4231a59ca957e145581e
Description
Summary:Abstract Background Housing mapping and household enumeration are essential for the planning, implementation, targeting, and monitoring of malaria control interventions. In many malaria endemic countries, control efforts are hindered by incomplete or non-existent housing cartography and household enumeration. This paper describes the development of a comprehensive mapping and enumeration system to support the Bioko Island Malaria Control Project (BIMCP). Results A highly detailed database was developed to include every housing unit on Bioko Island and uniquely enumerate the associated households residing in these houses. First, the island was divided into a virtual, geo-dereferenced grid of 1 × 1 km sequentially numbered map-areas, each of which was in turn subdivided into one hundred, 100 × 100 m sequentially numbered map-sectors. Second, high-resolution satellite imagery was used to sequentially and uniquely identify all housing units within each map-sector. Third, where satellite imagery was not available, global positioning systems (GPS) were used as the basis for uniquely identifying and mapping housing units in a sequential manner. A total of 97,048 housing units were mapped by 2018, 56% of which were concentrated in just 5.2% of Bioko Island’s total mapped area. Of these housing units, 70.7% were occupied, thus representing uniquely identified households. Conclusions The housing unit mapping and household enumeration system developed for Bioko Island enabled the BIMCP to more effectively plan, implement, target, and monitor malaria control interventions. Since 2014, the BIMCP has used the unique household identifiers to monitor all household-level interventions, including indoor residual spraying, long-lasting insecticide-treated nets distribution, and annual malaria indicator surveys. The coding system used to create the unique housing unit and household identifiers is highly intuitive and allows quick location of any house within the grid without a GPS. Its flexibility has permitted the BIMCP to easily ...