Impact of Irrigation Extension on Malaria Transmission in Simret, Tigray, Ethiopia.
10.3347/kjp.2016.54.4.399
- Author:
Bonhee CHUNG
1
Author Information
1. Institute for Poverty Alleviation and International Development, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493, Korea. bonhee.chung@gmail.com
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Plasmodium falciparum;
Plasmodium vivax;
malaria;
irrigation extension;
feedback;
Ethiopia
- MeSH:
Breeding;
Computer Simulation;
Culicidae;
Delivery of Health Care;
Ecosystem;
Ethiopia*;
Farmers;
Humans;
Malaria*;
Plasmodium falciparum;
Plasmodium vivax;
Water
- From:The Korean Journal of Parasitology
2016;54(4):399-405
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Poor subsistence farmers who live in a semi-arid area of northern Ethiopia build irrigation systems to overcome water shortages. However, there is a high risk of malaria transmission when increased standing water provides more favorable habitats for mosquito breeding. This is a serious problem because there are many barriers to malaria control measures and health care systems in the area. Using a causal loop diagram and computer simulations, the author attempted to visually illustrate positive and negative feedbacks between mosquito and human populations in the context of Simret, which is a small village located in northern Ethiopia and is generally considered a malaria-free area. The simulation results show that the number of infectious mosquitos increases to 17,215 at its peak, accounting for 3.5% of potentially dangerous mosquitos. At the same time, the number of sick people increases to 574 at its peak, accounting for 15% of local population. The malaria outbreak is controlled largely because of a fixed number of vulnerable people or local population that acts as an intermediate host.
