TY - JOUR
T1 - Beyond temperature and precipitation
T2 - Ecological risk factors that modify malaria transmission
AU - Stresman, Gillian H.
PY - 2010/12
Y1 - 2010/12
N2 - Being able to identify the ecological factors that impact risk for malaria would confer important predictive capacity to target malaria control interventions in a community. Temperature and water available for breeding habitats have been shown to be important primary ecological factors that impact the distribution of the malaria vectors and the rate at which the mosquito and parasite develop. However, to this point, studies focusing on the local level have been met with many inconsistent results when assessing malaria risk using both temperature and precipitation. This paper reviewed existing literature to determine if other ecological factors beyond temperature and water are present that may be modifying any associations present between ecological factors and malaria risk. It was found that the ability for water to pool and persist, water quality, elevation, deforestation, and agriculture have all been associated with malaria and may be modifying risk. Using the primary and modifying ecological variables, identifying the interactions between these factors and specific thresholds for increased malaria risk is critical: filling this knowledge gap would enable communities to develop tailored malaria control interventions targeted to their specific circumstances.
AB - Being able to identify the ecological factors that impact risk for malaria would confer important predictive capacity to target malaria control interventions in a community. Temperature and water available for breeding habitats have been shown to be important primary ecological factors that impact the distribution of the malaria vectors and the rate at which the mosquito and parasite develop. However, to this point, studies focusing on the local level have been met with many inconsistent results when assessing malaria risk using both temperature and precipitation. This paper reviewed existing literature to determine if other ecological factors beyond temperature and water are present that may be modifying any associations present between ecological factors and malaria risk. It was found that the ability for water to pool and persist, water quality, elevation, deforestation, and agriculture have all been associated with malaria and may be modifying risk. Using the primary and modifying ecological variables, identifying the interactions between these factors and specific thresholds for increased malaria risk is critical: filling this knowledge gap would enable communities to develop tailored malaria control interventions targeted to their specific circumstances.
KW - Environmental risk factors
KW - Malaria
KW - Precipitation
KW - Temperature
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77957751841&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77957751841&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.actatropica.2010.08.005
DO - 10.1016/j.actatropica.2010.08.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 20727338
AN - SCOPUS:77957751841
SN - 0001-706X
VL - 116
SP - 167
EP - 172
JO - Acta Tropica
JF - Acta Tropica
IS - 3
ER -