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Application of Mosquito Sampling Count and Geospatial Methods to Improve Dengue Vector Surveillance

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a major public health problem in several countries around the world. Dengue vector surveillance is an important methodology to determine when and where to take the control action. We used a combination of the Global Positioning System (GPS)/Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and the immature sampling count method to improve dengue vector surveillance. Both complete count and sampling count methods were used simultaneously to collect immature dengue vectors in all houses and all containers in one village in eastern Thailand to determine the efficiency of the sampling count technique. A hand-held GPS unit was used to record the location of surveyed houses. Linear regression indicated a high correlation between total immature populations resulting from the complete count and estimates from sampling count of immature stages. The immature survey data and the GPS coordinates of house location were combined into GIS maps showing distribution of immature density and clustering of immature stages and positive containers in the study area. This approach could be used to improve the efficiency and accuracy of dengue vector surveillance for targeting vector control.

Received October 26, 2005. Accepted for publication April 7, 2007.

Acknowledgments: The authors thank Dr. John D. Edman for help in reviewing and editing the final manuscript; Dr. Laura C. Harrington for critical review and helpful comments; Somboon Srimarat, Tanong Aimmak, Sumas Jantamas, Suwanna Austthapornrungroj, Damrongrith Vinij, and Uruyakorn Chansang for field assistance; and residents of surveyed houses, local public health authorities, and local administrative authorities in Hua Sam Rong Subdistrict, Plaeng Yao District for cooperation.

Financial Support: This study was supported by the Thailand Research Fund (RGJ/PHD/0051/2544), the Mahidol University Research Grant (SCBI-47-T-217), and the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Tropical Diseases Research and Training (TDR/RCS/A00786).

^* Address correspondence to Pattamaporn Kittayapong, Center for Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. E-mail: grpkt{at}mahidol.ac.th

Authors’ addresses: Pattamaporn Kittayapong and Chitti Chansang, Center for Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand, Telephone: 662-201-5935, Fax: 662-201-5923, E-mail: grpkt{at}mahidol.ac.th.

Reprint requests: Pattamaporn Kittayapong, Center for Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. E-mail: grpkt{at}mahidol.ac.th.