Vector abundance and species composition of Anopheles mosquito in Calabar, Nigeria.

Abstract

Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria creating a significant barrier to economic development. Accurate estimation of the extent of the morbidity and mortality is difficult in view of the weakness of the reporting systems for infectious diseases in Africa. In 2008, World Health Organization reported an estimated value of 243 million cases with a mortality of about 863 thousand in the world 1 . Malaria transmission in the coastal South States of Nigeria is known to be holoendemic, and perennial. High humidity (80%) and a high mean temperature of 35 o C in this area favour the bionomics of the principal malaria vectors (Anopheles gambiae complex and An. funestus) 2 . Vector control is a major component of the Global Malaria Control Strategy (GMCS) and still remains the most generally effective measure to prevent malaria transmission 3 . However, successful application of vector control measures in a given location requires the understanding of the bionomics of Anopheles species responsible for malaria transmission, including correct and precise identification of the target species 4 and its distribution 5 . Studies on malaria entomology in Nigeria are not only few but limited to the north and south-west of the country and are further confounded by the presence of different ecological zones that support breeding of different Anopheles species 6 . This study seeks to fill the gaps in the knowledge of bionomics of Anopheles from the south zone of