Malaria Epidemiology in Tanzanian Floodplains

The study was conducted in three villages in the Kilombero floodplains in Ulanga district, south-eastern Tanzania (Fig 1). This area is perennially meso-endemic for malaria and has high mosquito densities throughout the year, peaking between January and May. Annual rainfall and temperatures range from 1200 to 1800 mm and 20°C to 32.6°C respectively. Malaria vector species in the area comprise primarily of the An. gambiae s.l (almost exclusively consisting of An. arabiensis), and An. funestus group. Several other Anopheles mosquitoes such as An. coustani, An. pharoensis, An. squamosus, An. ziemanni and An. wellcomei are also found, as well as several culicine species, mainly Mansonia mosquitoes, Aedes mosquitoes and Culex species. The major vector control intervention in this area is LLINs [19 (link)], and the last mass-distribution of nets, prior to this study had been conducted between 2010 and 2011 [19 (link)].