Malaria epidemiology in changing scenario and anopheles vector in Ghaziabad district, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

In the past few decades, there have been change in the malaria distribution pattern due to several environmental and manmade conditions including developmental activities. Ghaziabad district, Uttar Pradesh adjoining the capital of India, Delhi once has rural malaria epidemic, but due to developmental activities by urbanization the breeding patterns of Anopheles is changing resulting in changed malaria transmission dynamics. Vector incrimination using ELISA and its confirmation by PCR is done to know the malaria transmission potential of Anopheles mosquito. Only 2.62 % mosquitoes collected were Anopheles spp. along with Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes spp. 1.17% anopheles mosquitoes were found infected with Plasmodium parasite as detected by ELISA of which 0.58% were confirmed by PCR. Reportedly An. culicifacies acting as vector of malaria since 1976. It is still doing its part in transmission while urban vector An. stephensi which appeared around 2005 is slowly becoming a major vector for malaria transmission in rural as well as urban along with peri-urban.