Abstract

GIS application for targeted malaria control strategy
Track: Health and Human Services
Authors: christopher Nyundo

Abstract

Heterogeneity of malaria transmission threatens efficacy of intervention programmes. Tools identifying hotspots fueling transmission are required for focused strategy to achieve elimination.

GIS technology and SatScan techniques were applied to a 10 year (2002-2011) data consisting of 5250 malaria positive admissions from the Kilifi Health Demographic and hospital surveillance system to describe the declining trends in malaria, recent upsurge and stable malaria hotspots on the Kenyan Coast.

Incidence of malaria hospitalization declined from 6.0 to 1.0 per 1000 between 2002-2009 followed by an upsurge in 2010 and 2011. The trend was characterized by divergent spatial and temporal variations across sub-locations while stable malaria hotspots clearly dominated sub-locations south of the Hospital with (p- value <0.0001).

These findings inform policy, targeted interventions and research towards malaria elimination.