Spatio-temporal analysis of malaria vectors in national malaria surveillance sites in China

BACKGROUND: To reveal the spatio-temporal distribution of malaria vectors in the national malaria surveillance sites from 2005 to 2010 and provide reference for the current National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) in China. METHODS: A 6-year longitudinal surveillance on density of malaria vectors was carried out in the 62 national malaria surveillance sites. The spatial and temporal analyses of the four primary vectors distribution were conducted by the methods of kernel k-means and the cluster distribution of the most widely distribution vector of An.sinensis was identified using the empirical mode decomposition (EMD). RESULTS: Totally 4 species of Anopheles mosquitoes including An.sinensis, An.lesteri, An.dirus and An.minimus were captured with significant difference of distribution as well as density. An. sinensis was the most widely distributed, accounting for 96.25% of all collections, and its distribution was divided into three different clusters with a significant increase of density observed in the second cluster which located mostly in the central parts of China. CONCLUSION: This study first described the spatio-temporal distribution of malaria vectors based on the nationwide surveillance during 2005-2010, which served as a baseline for the ongoing national malaria elimination program.