Controlling emergent Anopheles stephensi in Ethiopia and Sudan (CEASE)

Malaria is predominantly a rural disease in Africa and whilst urbanisation is occurring rapidly it was thought unlikely to lead to substantial increases in malaria transmission because Africa lacks an urban-adapted malaria vector.

However, Anopheles stephensi, a common and efficient urban malaria vector in South Asia and the Persian Gulf, has recently been found in the Horn of Africa, including Ethiopia and Sudan and is associated with a rise in malaria in Djibouti. This prompted the WHO to call for urgent action to control the spread of the vector.

This proposal brings together biologists, epidemiologists, mathematical and geostatistical modellers and medical anthropologists with the aim of preventing the spread of An. stephensi in Ethiopia and Sudan.

The research will: (i) investigate the distribution, routes of introduction/reintroduction and spread of An. stephensi; (ii) quantify the importance of An. stephensi for malaria transmission and iii) evaluate multi-sectoral vector control strategies.

This incredibly timely research will quantify the threat posed by An. stephensi in Ethiopia and Sudan and identify control measures to reduce populations and combat further spread in Africa. Historic examples (e.g.

An. gambiae in Brazil) demonstrate that without prompt action, invasive species can become established with massive impacts on morbidity/mortality.