Characterization of malaria transmission pattern in Njombé and Kékem in Cameroon.

Introduction: Malaria remains a major threat in Cameroon. However there is still a lack of data on malaria situation in many places across the country. In the present study we report data from entomological and household survey conducted in the localities of Njombé and Kékem in the Littoral and West region.

Methodology: The study took place in Njombé and Kékem. Adult mosquitoes were collected using HLC and CDC light traps. After morphological identification of the collected mosquitoes, carcasses of Anopheles species were used for molecular identification using PCR and heads and thorax to determine infectivity by ELISA. Population’s Knowledge and practices concerning malaria was recorded using a questionnaire.

Results: About 3,694 mosquitoes belonging to 3 genera (Anopheles, Aedes, Culex) were collected. Culex spp., was the predominant species (54.04%) followed by An. gambiae s.l., and An. funestus s.l. An. coluzzii was the only species of the An. gambiae s.l. complex found. Amongst the 1,550 Anopheles screened by ELISA, 14 (0.90%) were found infected by Plasmodium falciparum 08 (0.52%) in Njombé and 06 (0.39%) in Kékem. The entomological inoculation rate was 0.27 ib/m/n in Njombé and 0.16 ib/m/n in Kékem. 200 households were surveyed and over 85% of respondents attributed malaria transmission to mosquito bites. LLIN was the main tools use to prevent from mosquito bites.

Conclusion: The study reveals that population in Njombé and Kékem was exposed to high malaria transmission risk. This transmission was sustained by An. coluzzii.

Key words: Anopheles, malaria, LLINs, Njombé, Kékem.