Showcasing Exceptional Research

This week’s Fist Bump goes to the VectorLink Colombia team for their participation in the Colombian Association of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine Conference (XVII Congreso de la Sociedad Colombiana de Parasitología y Medicina Tropical, ACPMT) in Bogotá towards the end of last year. They had seven abstracts accepted and Chief of Party Manuela Herrera-Varela participated in a symposium.

The team presented on their work in Cauca department involving,

• The biting behavior for Anopheles albimanus and Anopheles neivai;
• Anopheles mosquitoes’ involvement in the transmission of malaria on the Pacific coast of Cauca Department, Colombia;
• Composition and behavior of malaria vector species collected using Prokopack in the localities of Guapi and Timbiquí;
• Effect of temperature on biting time of Anopheles mosquitoes in two municipalities in Cauca;
• Insecticide susceptibility of malaria transmitting vectors, Anopheles albimanus and Anopheles neivai; and
• The effect of knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the success of malaria vector control tools.

The symposium was on Vector Management and Entomology in Public Health, and Dr. Manuela Herrera-Varela spoke about malaria vector control in the Americas, focusing on the project’s experiences in Colombia.

To top it all off, the team received second place for best oral presentation regarding the effect of temperature on biting time of Anopheles mosquitoes in two municipalities in Cauca.

Congratulations VL Colombia!