With the Spread of Anopheles stephensi, VectorLink Nigeria Steps into Action

Happy New Year, everyone! We’re excited to resume sharing the vital work that our colleagues are doing, with this first Fist Bump of 2023!

The invasive malaria vector, Anopheles stephensi, is spreading throughout the African continent. With the mosquito’s recent detection in Nigeria through routine entomological surveillance, further detection of An. stephensi’s spread is critical. This week’s Fist Bump goes to the VectorLink Nigeria team for supporting the National Malaria Elimination Program to strengthen the in-country capacity to monitor the spread of this mosquito.

In November 2022, VectorLink Nigeria successfully trained seven principal investigators and 14 entomology technicians from universities and research institutes across seven at-risk states in the country. Participants learned adult and larval mosquito sampling tools and were provided with the standard operating procedures to implement these activities. Due to VectorLink Ethiopia’s experience with An. stephensi, Technical Manager Dr. Meshesha Managido joined the training virtually, and shared best practices on identifying the breeding and resting sites of this species and how to identify adult An. stephensi mosquitoes.

This training strengthened the ability of entomologists and researchers to provide the necessary evidence to detect the spread of An. stephensi across the country, enabling the NMEP to plan effective interventions for controlling the invasive malaria vector.

Kudos to the VectorLink Nigeria team and a shout out to Dr. Meshesha for bolstering knowledge-sharing across countries!