Médecins Sans Frontières - Venezuela: How studying mosquito behavior help bring down malaria in Sucre state

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSB97892

Date taken / Date Recorded 04/08/2021 7:47 AM

Country Venezuela

Commissioning section MSF-NETHERLANDS

Photographer / videographer / producer Matias Delacroix

Copyright Matias Delacroix

Usage Rights (MSF) External Media, MSF Fundraising, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available yes

Project section OCA

Editor's rating ★★★★★ (C)

Maximum Size 6000px × 4000px 1.72 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist El estado de Sucre, en el noreste de Venezuela, tiene una de las mayores incidencias de malaria del país. El clima y la vegetación crean condiciones perfectas para la propagación del mosquito Anopheles, que transmite la enfermedad. Junto con autoridades sanitarias regionales, MSF trabaja desde 2019 en una estrategia de reducción y control de la malaria, basada en tres pilares: diagnóstico y tratamiento temprano, promoción de la salud y control vectorial. El equipo de control vectorial estudia el comportamiento de los mosquitos transmisores de malaria para desarrollar las mejores estrategias para prevenir la transmisión de la enfermedad. Desde el 2019, la incidencia de la malaria ha disminuido un 80 % en las zonas donde MSF está presente.
Sucre state in north-eastern Venezuela has one of the highest incidences of malaria in the country. The climate and vegetation provide the perfect conditions for the spread of the anopheles mosquito, which transmits the disease. Together with the regional health authorities, MSF has been working since 2019 on a strategy to reduce and control malaria, based on three pillars: early diagnosis and treatment, health promotion and vector control. The vector control team studies the behaviour of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes to develop the best strategies to prevent transmission of the disease. Since 2019, the incidence of malaria has decreased by 80% in the areas where MSF is present.