Epidemiology of malaria in Attapeu Province, Lao PDR in relation to entomological parameters

Surveys were conducted in malaria-endemic villages in the southern province of Attapeu, Lao PDR during various seasons over a 3-year period. All-night mosquito landing collections, blood surveys and a case-control study were conducted. Plasmodium falciparum was the predominant species, and slide positivity rates were higher during the transition/dry season compared with the wet season. Anopheles dirus A was found to be the primary vector, and sporozoite rates were highest during the transition/dry season. Anopheles dirus was found to be endophagic and endophilic. Not using insecticide-treated bed nets, houses close to breeding sites and steeping away from home were risk factors associated with malaria. (c) 2005 Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.