In a collaborative drive, Wits University researchers have partnered in the continent’s first interconnected mosquito observatory network, VectorGrid-Africa, which has also launched in Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique and Madagascar.
TimesLIVE reports that the €6.1m initiative is funded by the EU’s Horizon/EDCTP programme and led by the University of Glasgow.
It will establish advanced monitoring sites to collect good quality, open-access data on mosquito species and environmental factors influencing vector dynamics.
This will help identify mosquito species that are susceptible to transmitting diseases, and aid in fast-tracking disease forecasting.
Wits scientists Professor Lizette Koekemoer, Research Professor at the Wits Research Institute for Malaria, and Distinguished Professor and Research Chair Marietjie Venter (division of emerging viral threats, one health surveillance and vaccines), will lead the South African node.
The operations will take place in strategically selected sentinel sites in malaria disease-endemic provinces – Limpopo, Mpumalanga, parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, where arbovirus outbreaks are frequently detected.
The goal is to address the key gaps in mosquito control within the Southern African Development Community region.
“Understanding how human behaviour, environment and other factors contribute to vector-risk exposure is crucial for understanding complex transmission cycles,” said Koekemoer.
The Wits team will use the newly constructed biosafety level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory at the Wits biohub in “enhancing capacity to work on vector-borne and zoonotic diseases in the face of climate change in Africa”, she said.
With underestimations of mosquito vectors on the continent, is it hoped the research output of the VectorGrid-Africa can inform efforts to streamline interventions and optimise resource allocation to reduce disease transmission.
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