Monitoring the behaviour of mosquitoes, the carrier of malaria-causing germs in Oyo State, experts say that contrary to their past behaviour, it is increasing biting in the early hours of the morning between 5 am and 6 am in Oyo State.
In the study, the researchers had monitored the behaviour of mosquitoes, including their resistance to insecticides, in six local government areas and found that contact with an infected mosquito is now higher between 5a.m and 6 a.m.
The surveillance, tagged US President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI)-Vector link Project, over a three-year period, found that there are two major malaria infecting mosquitoes in Oyo State, with Anopheles gambiae peak biting occurring between 12 noon and 3 am and Anopheles funestus biting more between 5 am and 6 a.m.
Chief of Party, US President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI)-Vector link Project, Dr Adedayo Oduola, speaking at the dissemination of the surveillance, stated that: “It is a pointer that we are beginning to have A. funestus biting into the day. That’s something to look at because we know that mosquitoes adapt themselves to suit human behaviour.”
According to Dr. Oduola, in 2019, the predominant malaria infecting mosquitoes was Anopheles gambii but by 2021 had included Anopheles funestus due to modifications to the environment in the state.
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In addition, A. gambii biting rate and the population are more between June and July, during the rainy season and Anopheles fumestus more about November, the dry season, making malaria transmission possible all through the year.
He declared: “So even during the rainy season, you have a competent malaria vector. But as the A. gambiae is going down, A. funestus is going up. The peak biting activities of these mosquitoes coincide with the time that people are sleeping. So, we need to understand why we must sleep under a mosquito net during both the rainy and dry seasons.”
Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Taiwo Ladipo, stated that a lot of resistance is being generated to some of the traditional insecticides used to control mosquitoes and the state had circumvent this by distributing nets with insecticides that still kill mosquitoes effectively.
Dr Ladipo, however, stated that eliminating malaria in Nigeria will require different interventions and everyone playing their role to make the country free of malaria-causing germs.
State coordinator for the US President Malaria Initiative for States, Oyo State, Dr Oluwayemisi Ayandipo declared that the ineffectiveness of insecticides in flits to kill mosquitoes attests to its likely resistance to the chemical substance used in preparing the sprayed insecticide.
She added, “I am hopeful that the state government will make use of these findings and improve on the quality of insecticide we are using at home and for general purposes including agriculture.”
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