title: Strong association between house characteristics and malaria vectors in Sri Lanka.
abstract: The objective of this study was to determine whether house characteristics could be used to further refine the residual insecticide-spraying program in Sri Lanka. Indoor-resting mosquito densities were estimated in 473 houses based on fortnightly collections over a two-and-a-half-year period. The type of house construction and the exact location of all houses were determined. In a multivariate analysis, distance of less than 750 meters between a house and the main vector-breeding site was strongly associated with the presence of Anopheles culicifacies in the house (odds ratio [OR] 4.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.4-6.8) and to a lesser extent with the presence of An. subpictus (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.7). Poor housing construction also was an independent risk factor (OR for An. culicifacies 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.9; OR for An. subpictus 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.6). It is recommended that a malaria control strategy focus on residential areas within 750 meters of streams and rivers, with special attention given to areas with the poorest type of house construction.
authors.affiliation: Department of International Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Flemming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Konradsen
authors.forename: Priyanie
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Amerasinghe
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van der Hoek
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amerasinghe
authors.forename: Devika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Perera
authors.forename: Maldeniya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piyaratne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles; D004777:Environment; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D009032:Mosquito Control; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology