Peri-domestic ecology and behaviour of Aedes sp. mosquitoes: A West African evidence base for effective control of urban arboviruses

Dengue is an emerging disease with similar clinical symptoms to malaria. In the last five years, Burkina Faso has seen an incredible increase in the number of dengue cases, affecting the urban population in partcular.

Dengue virus is transmitted by a Aedes sp., a different type of mosquito than the one that transmits malaria, and is commonly known as the “tiger mosquito”. This mosquito is really aggressive and bites mostly during the day, early in the morning and at sunset. There is no effective vaccine or drugs; the treatment is only symptomatic. Controlling the mosquito remains the only way to prevent the spread of the disease, and unfortunately little is known about this mosquito in Burkina Faso.

Our country is not prepared at all to tackle dengue as attention and resources are largely directed towards malaria. There is an urgent need for an effective national strategy to fight the tiger mosquito to prevent the spread of dengue. My study aims to characterise the behaviour of this mosquito to inform control strategies.