Ecologists can enable communities to implement malaria vector control in Africa
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Integrated vector management (IVM) for malaria control requires ecological skills that are very scarce and rarely applied in Africa today. Partnerships between communities and academic ecologists can address this capacity deficit, mo...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2006-02-01
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| Series: | Malaria Journal |
| Online Access: | http://www.malariajournal.com/content/5/1/9 |
| _version_ | 1828495948877135872 |
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| author | Knols Bart GJ van Schayk Ingeborg Yamagata Yoichi Mtasiwa Deo Mboera Leonard Nkwengulila Gamba Kiche Ibrahim Mathenge Evan M Ijumba Jasper N Kiama G Michael Kannady Khadija Mukabana W Lindsay Steven W de Castro Marcia Mshinda Hassan Tanner Marcel Fillinger Ulrike Killeen Gerry F |
| author_facet | Knols Bart GJ van Schayk Ingeborg Yamagata Yoichi Mtasiwa Deo Mboera Leonard Nkwengulila Gamba Kiche Ibrahim Mathenge Evan M Ijumba Jasper N Kiama G Michael Kannady Khadija Mukabana W Lindsay Steven W de Castro Marcia Mshinda Hassan Tanner Marcel Fillinger Ulrike Killeen Gerry F |
| author_sort | Knols Bart GJ |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Integrated vector management (IVM) for malaria control requires ecological skills that are very scarce and rarely applied in Africa today. Partnerships between communities and academic ecologists can address this capacity deficit, modernize the evidence base for such approaches and enable future scale up.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Community-based IVM programmes were initiated in two contrasting settings. On Rusinga Island, Western Kenya, community outreach to a marginalized rural community was achieved by University of Nairobi through a community-based organization. In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Ilala Municipality established an IVM programme at grassroots level, which was subsequently upgraded and expanded into a pilot scale Urban Malaria Control Programme with support from national academic institutes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both programmes now access relevant expertise, funding and policy makers while the academic partners benefit from direct experience of community-based implementation and operational research opportunities. The communities now access up-to-date malaria-related knowledge and skills for translation into local action. Similarly, the academic partners have acquired better understanding of community needs and how to address them.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Until sufficient evidence is provided, community-based IVM remains an operational research activity. Researchers can never directly support every community in Africa so community-based IVM strategies and tactics will need to be incorporated into undergraduate teaching programmes to generate sufficient numbers of practitioners for national scale programmes. Academic ecologists at African institutions are uniquely positioned to enable the application of practical environmental and entomological skills for malaria control by communities at grassroots level and should be supported to fulfil this neglected role.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T12:21:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8fb2edd5a07f46719232464ed2c6adb2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1475-2875 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T12:21:32Z |
| publishDate | 2006-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Malaria Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-8fb2edd5a07f46719232464ed2c6adb22022-12-22T01:07:32ZengBMCMalaria Journal1475-28752006-02-0151910.1186/1475-2875-5-9Ecologists can enable communities to implement malaria vector control in AfricaKnols Bart GJvan Schayk IngeborgYamagata YoichiMtasiwa DeoMboera LeonardNkwengulila GambaKiche IbrahimMathenge Evan MIjumba Jasper NKiama G MichaelKannady KhadijaMukabana WLindsay Steven Wde Castro MarciaMshinda HassanTanner MarcelFillinger UlrikeKilleen Gerry F<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Integrated vector management (IVM) for malaria control requires ecological skills that are very scarce and rarely applied in Africa today. Partnerships between communities and academic ecologists can address this capacity deficit, modernize the evidence base for such approaches and enable future scale up.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Community-based IVM programmes were initiated in two contrasting settings. On Rusinga Island, Western Kenya, community outreach to a marginalized rural community was achieved by University of Nairobi through a community-based organization. In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Ilala Municipality established an IVM programme at grassroots level, which was subsequently upgraded and expanded into a pilot scale Urban Malaria Control Programme with support from national academic institutes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both programmes now access relevant expertise, funding and policy makers while the academic partners benefit from direct experience of community-based implementation and operational research opportunities. The communities now access up-to-date malaria-related knowledge and skills for translation into local action. Similarly, the academic partners have acquired better understanding of community needs and how to address them.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Until sufficient evidence is provided, community-based IVM remains an operational research activity. Researchers can never directly support every community in Africa so community-based IVM strategies and tactics will need to be incorporated into undergraduate teaching programmes to generate sufficient numbers of practitioners for national scale programmes. Academic ecologists at African institutions are uniquely positioned to enable the application of practical environmental and entomological skills for malaria control by communities at grassroots level and should be supported to fulfil this neglected role.</p>http://www.malariajournal.com/content/5/1/9 |
| spellingShingle | Knols Bart GJ van Schayk Ingeborg Yamagata Yoichi Mtasiwa Deo Mboera Leonard Nkwengulila Gamba Kiche Ibrahim Mathenge Evan M Ijumba Jasper N Kiama G Michael Kannady Khadija Mukabana W Lindsay Steven W de Castro Marcia Mshinda Hassan Tanner Marcel Fillinger Ulrike Killeen Gerry F Ecologists can enable communities to implement malaria vector control in Africa Malaria Journal |
| title | Ecologists can enable communities to implement malaria vector control in Africa |
| title_full | Ecologists can enable communities to implement malaria vector control in Africa |
| title_fullStr | Ecologists can enable communities to implement malaria vector control in Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ecologists can enable communities to implement malaria vector control in Africa |
| title_short | Ecologists can enable communities to implement malaria vector control in Africa |
| title_sort | ecologists can enable communities to implement malaria vector control in africa |
| url | http://www.malariajournal.com/content/5/1/9 |
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