Implementation and Evaluation of Vector Control Methods in Kinshasa: The Case of Aedes

Summary

Arboviral diseases are viral diseases transmitted by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus and are constantly spreading throughout the world, constituting a significant threat to public health.

In Africa, there is very little data on the epidemiological situation of Aedes-borne diseases and programs for monitoring these diseases are very limited. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), several epidemics of yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika cases have been reported. In particular, in Kinshasa, the dengue and chikungunya viruses have previously been detected in patients with undifferentiated fevers and several studies have shown entomological transmission indices above the criteria and standards of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The aim of our study is to implement and evaluate different strategies to control Aedes mosquitoes at different stages of their life cycle in the city of Kinshasa.

In particular, a before-and-after interventional study will be piloted and tested in the health zone of Kinshasa, with the aim of providing preliminary evidence of the impact of vector control tools.

Interventions will be implemented in 400 households for each arm for 12 months. Before, after and during the interventions, entomological surveys will be conducted in 160 households in each arm to define the density of the vectors. Mosquitoes will be tested for the possible presence of arbovirus RNA (dengue, chikungunya, Zika, yellow fever). During the pre-intervention period, a serological survey for the same diseases transmitted by the Aedes mosquito will be conducted on a sample of 450 people included in two health centers of reference for the health zone of Mont Ngafula 1. A questionnaire will also be administered before and after the intervention implementation to assess the community's knowledge, attitudes and practices towards Aedes mosquito vector control and Aedes-borne diseases.

The integration of the data collected within the scope of this study will provide an assessment of the feasibility and impact of the tested methods on entomological indicators, as well as determining the exposure and knowledge of Aedes-borne diseases in the Mont Ngafula 1 area.

Conditions

• Aedes-borne Diseases

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Community-based environmental management

This intervention will be performed by the local community, who will have been previously informed and trained on the appropriate environmental management methods for the control of the Aedes mosquito. It will be based on the following elements: i) identification and removal of all artificial sources of reproduction of the Aedes mosquito inside and around the house (i.e. covering abandoned containers and/or storage containers to avoid water accumulation); ii) regular collection and disposal of household waste; iii) identification and resolution of all artificial sources of reproduction of the Aedes vector in or around the house (i.e. natural cavities such as tree holes will be filled to prevent water accumulation). This intervention will be carried out as a single intervention in Arm 1, in combination with a larvicidal intervention in Arm 2 and in combination with the intervention against the adult stage of the Aedes mosquito in Arm 3.

OTHER

Vector control against immature stages of Aedes

Larvicidal control will be carried out through pyriproxifen-based autodissemination stations combined with Beauveria bassiana, implemented according to the manufacturer's recommended procedures.

OTHER

Vector control against the mature stages of Aedes

The control of the adult Aedes mosquitoes will be carried out through mass trapping using BG-GAT traps implemented according to the manufacturer's recommended procedures. In each household, three traps will be deployed.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale. Kinshasa, République Démocratique du Congo

  collaborator OTHER

• Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Veerle Vanlerberghe · Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-03-26

Primary Completion

2026-09-30

Completion

2026-12-31

Countries

• Democratic Republic of the Congo

Study Locations