Public health impact of the spread of Anopheles stephensi in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region countries in Horn of Africa and Yemen: need for integrated vector surveillance and control

• Published in: Malaria Journal
• Main Authors: Samira M. Al-Eryani, Seth R. Irish, Tamar E. Carter, Audrey Lenhart, Adel Aljasari, Lucia Fernández Montoya, Abdullah A. Awash, Elmonshawe Mohammed, Said Ali, Mohammed A. Esmail, Abdulhafid Hussain, Jamal G. Amran, Samatar Kayad, Mujahid Nouredayem, Mariam A. Adam, Lina Azkoul, Methaq Assada, Yasser A. Baheshm, Walid Eltahir, Yvan J. Hutin
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2023
• Subjects: Anopheles stephensi; Invasive vector; Malaria; Vector surveillance; Eastern Mediterranean Region; Breeding sites; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-023-04545-y; https://doaj.org/article/ec1c47388261436bb62539743ffa3467

Abstract Background Anopheles stephensi is an efficient vector of both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in South Asia and the Middle East. The spread of An. stephensi to countries within the Horn of Africa threatens progress in malaria control in this region as well as the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. Methods The available malaria data and the timeline for the detection of An. stephensi was reviewed to analyse the role of An. stephensi in malaria transmission in Horn of Africa of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) in Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Results Malaria incidence in Horn of Africa of EMR and Yemen, increased from 41.6 in 2015 to 61.5 cases per 1000 in 2020. The four countries from this region, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen had reported the detection of An. stephensi as of 2021. In Djibouti City, following its detection in 2012, the estimated incidence increased from 2.5 cases per 1000 in 2013 to 97.6 cases per 1000 in 2020. However, its contribution to malaria transmission in other major cities and in other countries, is unclear because of other factors, quality of the urban malaria data, human mobility, uncertainty about the actual arrival time of An. stephensi and poor entomological surveillance. Conclusions While An. stephensi may explain a resurgence of malaria in Djibouti, further investigations are needed to understand its interpretation trends in urban malaria across the greater region. More investment for multisectoral approach and integrated surveillance and control should target all vectors particularly malaria and dengue vectors to guide interventions in urban areas.