Li Li, Bian Ling, Yan Guiyun
Department of Political Science and Geography, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
Int J Health Geogr. 2008 Sep 22;7:50. doi: 10.1186/1476-072X-7-50.
A sharp rise in the malaria mortality rate has been observed recently in western Kenya. Malaria is transmitted by mosquito vectors. Malaria control strategies can be more successful if the distribution and abundance of mosquito vectors is predicted. However, how mosquito vectors are distributed in space remain poor understood, and this question is rarely studied using spatial methods. This study aims to provide a better understanding of the distribution and abundance of mosquito vectors. To achieve this objective, spatial and non-spatial methods were employed. The data on the distribution of adult mosquitoes, and mosquito breeding habitats in a study area in western Kenya, and environmental variables were analyzed.
The models developed using spatial methods outperformed the models developed using non-spatial methods. Houses close to locations where mosquito breeding habitats were repeatedly observed had more abundant adult female mosquitoes. Distance to high-order streams was identified as an effective predictor for the distribution of adult mosquitoes.
The spatial method is more effective in modeling the distribution of adult mosquitoes than the non-spatial method. The results of this study can be used to facilitate decision-making related to mosquito surveillance and malaria prevention.
最近在肯尼亚西部观察到疟疾死亡率急剧上升。疟疾由蚊媒传播。如果能够预测蚊媒的分布和数量，疟疾控制策略可能会更成功。然而，蚊媒在空间上的分布情况仍知之甚少，而且很少使用空间方法来研究这个问题。本研究旨在更好地了解蚊媒的分布和数量。为实现这一目标，采用了空间和非空间方法。分析了肯尼亚西部一个研究区域内成年蚊子的分布、蚊子繁殖栖息地的数据以及环境变量。
使用空间方法开发的模型优于使用非空间方法开发的模型。靠近反复观察到蚊子繁殖栖息地的地点的房屋中成年雌蚊数量更多。到高阶溪流的距离被确定为成年蚊子分布的有效预测因子。
空间方法在模拟成年蚊子分布方面比非空间方法更有效。本研究结果可用于促进与蚊子监测和疟疾预防相关的决策。
