Application of the pupal/demographic-survey methodology to identify the key container habitats of Aedes aegypti (L.) in Malindi district, Kenya

Abstract

The pupal/demographic-survey methodology was evaluated in three coastal areas (one urban, one peri-urban and one rural) of Malindi district, Kenya, in attempts to identify the types of domestic container that are most productive for Aedes aegypti (L.) pupae. The results demonstrated the practicality and consistency of the methodology, as a tool both for identifying and guiding the targeted control of the most productive container habitats, and for determining the mean numbers of pupae/person, as measures of the risk of dengue transmission.

Twenty-five types of container were identified indoors and 50 types outdoors. In total, only 4178 pupae were seen indoors and 795 outdoors. Pupal productivity was dependent on the type, location and volume of the container and the season of the year. Metallic drums and jerricans contributed >70% of the pupae encountered indoors in the wet season whereas, in the rural area, plastic drums contributed 83.7% of all the larvae seen outdoors during the dry season. Container productivity was not consistent during the different surveys. The highest mean numbers of pupae/person (7.61) and of pupae/household (18.12) were recorded in the rural area.