Raphael N’Guessan is a Medical Entomologist and West Africa IVCC programme manager based in Benin. His current research interests are on malaria vector control, with particular emphasis on control of resistant vectors, insecticide resistance management, and investigation of alternative strategies for its delay.
Q: Dear Raphael, please tell us what the main focus of your work is, and why this is important within the framework of malaria control and elimination.
Dr. Gunilla Priebe recently graduated from the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) on a most interesting topic. She advocates further Africanisation of malaria research based on her study of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria. Some questions for Gunilla...
Question/Bart: If you argue for more research in the South, then what should the role of scientists in the North be(come)?...
Submitted by mqbenedict on February 24, 2010 - 02:06
“If the malaria control program(s) I manage receives 5% of its current funds 5 years from now, would the maximum level of transmission reduction we have achieved during that time be maintained 5 years later?”
E-interviews are a new section on MalariaWorld, where we interview members about their work and role in the field of malaria. This is our first e-interview, with Mr. Fredros Okumu, working at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania and PhD student at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Question/Bart: Fredros, what are you currently working on and why is this important?
Last week, Nathan Myhrvold, a former Microsoft executive, presented a fascinating new invention to the world during a talk at the TED conference. The TED talks are renowned for providing a stage for great people with great ideas...
On 18 January I flew from Amsterdam to Copenhagen for a 3-day workshop on malaria and architecture. The KLM Fokker 100 took off in time at 07.05 am, and nothing eventful happened until the time I opened the in-flight magazine Holland Herald…
There is a good reason for putting out a large variety of products with similar function on the market – like cars. It simply has to do with our innate differences in preference with regard to colour, shape, make, etc. Some like a blue car, others a white or a red one. And, suprise surprise, the great level of differentation means that almost everyone can find a car that matches his/her preferences at an affordable price....
This week (1-5 Feb, 2010), scientists are meeting at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria to present recent developments and plan future research in male mosquito biology.
Ninety years ago it was discovered that mosquitoes track us down at night by responding to the smell we as humans produce. Since then, many studies have focused on identifying the nature of the chemicals we produce with the aim to use them to lure mosquitoes to trapping devices, thereby interrupting bloodfeeding and thus transmission of diseases like malaria. But why is there still no trap available for use in the developing world where malaria hits hardest?
The statistics say it all: 70% of the transmission of infectious diseases is focused in and around the house. Including malaria, where the key vectors in Africa are almost exclusively feeding indoors and at night. The forum on MalariaWorld that discussed this issue was very well read (more than 1000 views), and although comments were limited, it was enough to move forward with the idea...
Those who colonize mosquitoes are rightfully protective of them. Some species require a large amount of work to establish in the laboratory, and many of you have given your blood, sweat, holidays, and earnest attention to ensuring they exist. When you distribute it, you are giving a gift.
In most African countries bednets have become common and are contributing to saving countless lives of children. Scaling up of this intervention continues in the second decade of this millennium. Indoor residual spraying is widely practiced though a less common sight in many parts of Africa where spray teams do not reach far-off communities in rural settings.
I know this web site is MALARIA World. But the field of genetic control of vectors is so small that I hope you will indulge me in a blog that reaches into arbovirology and highlights the kind of technology we might anticipate against Plasmodia in Anopheles. Genetic control of vectors received another Christmas gift when a bonus remarkable phenotype due to Wolbachia infection - in addition to cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) and life shortening - was reported in Cell.
Targets for vector control have usually exploited serendipitous findings such as ion channels and hormonal control of development. However, the modern trend to search for specific targets for intervention is bearing fruit. Rogers et al.
It's that time of the year when we all get to see how well the battle against malaria is progressing: The World Malaria Report 2009 came out today. And, overall, there is much, much progress. Regretfully, and well-documented this time, there are also worries...
Evolutionary thinking started pervading vector control strategies and planning since it was used to explain and manage insecticide resistance. More recently it has been used in the planning of GMMs (Genetically Modified Mosquitoes).
Andy Tattem and colleagues published a really interesting study in the Malaria Journal yesterday. They conclude from the study that anonymous mobile phone records provide valuable information on human movement patterns in areas that are typically data-sparse. Estimates of human movement patterns from Zanzibar to mainland Tanzania suggest that imported malaria risk from this group is heterogeneously distributed; a few people account for most of the risk for imported malaria.
Submitted by Bart Knols on December 10, 2009 - 20:59
Following the initial forum on the importance of architecture in the design of mosquito proof houses, nearly 500 members viewed the discussion, which is an excellent number to start.
'Mug: De fascinerende wereld van volksvijand nummer I' went on sale in Dutch bookstores last Friday. The book (in Dutch) was written for the general public, to become familiarised with the difficulties of controlling diseases like malaria in developing countries. Given the absence of malaria in the Netherlands since 1959, the Dutch population has now lived for five decades without the threat of a mosquito-borne disease. There is therefore remarkably little general knowledge about mosquito-borne diseases, notably malaria.
The atmosphere in the press room was one of excitement, when it was announced that Kenya would see its last case of endemic malaria in the year 2017.
This date came from the 2007 Malaria Indicator Survey, showing that malaria is on the decline in various parts of the country. Kenya has therefore chosen the path towards elimination, and will do so when having sufficient funding.
MalariaWorld Newsletter recipients would need to have their heads buried in the sand if they were not well aware of numerous threats to the current methods for reducing malaria transmission. Whether the intervention is insecticides or drugs, their sustainability is threatened by failures which - it is hoped - will not become widespread. Of greater concern for those who are responsible for implementing programs are the complexities of applying control methods in different cultures, education in different languages and achieving sufficient compliance.
The 5th Pan-African MIM meeting on malaria was held in Nairobi last week, and brought together the largest number of participants since the first meeting that was held in Senegal twelve years ago.
The E words, Eradication and Elimination, are firmly back on the table after at least 2 decades in which they could not be mentioned in polite malaria company. The last two years have seen remarkable progress in translating these concepts into clear strategies and substantial action.
When you read this blog, you may already have signed up for the platform, or visit us as a guest. Either way, we welcome you to the world's first scientific and social network for malaria professionals.
In a recent commentary published by CNN, Tachi Yamada, President of the Global Health Programme at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, expressed his euforism about the malaria control activities on the island of Zanzibar. And not without reason. He visited a paediatric ward and found empty beds. No sick children, no suffering because of malaria. Indeed a reason to be happy. Zanzibar has hammered malaria over the last five years to the extent where it 'has virtually eliminated the disease' according to Yamada.
I attended a most interesting meeting yesterday in Wageningen (The Netherlands) where some 30 scientists and representatives of donor organisations gathered. Two scientists from disease-endemic countries (Rwanda and Kenya) presented case studies to the audience. These were followed by a mini 'open space' meeting where attendees could submit questions on post-its for discussion in small groups.
It has been an interesting week regarding the latest addition to the list of species of malaria parasites that can infect humans: Plasmodium knowlesi. I was interviewed by two Dutch radio programmes that picked up the scare from the BBC World website . Apparently there was also a Dutch tourist that returned back home from Sarawak with this 'deadly form of monkey malaria'....
Anyone serious about African safaris is serious about malaria. The sheer number of deaths caused by this parasitic disease simply puts the mosquito as the number 1 most dangerous animal in the world. Ten children will have died of malaria in the time it takes you to read this blog. I have never sat around a camp fire whilst on safari without malaria being discussed one way or the other. Some fantastic stories persist, and here are some really good ones:
Raphael N’Guessan is a Medical Entomologist and West Africa 
Dr. Gunilla Priebe recently graduated from the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) on a most interesting topic. She advocates further Africanisation of malaria research based on her study of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria. Some questions for Gunilla... 
“If the malaria control program(s) I manage receives 5% of its current funds 5 years from now, would the maximum level of transmission reduction we have achieved during that time be maintained 5 years later?”
E-interviews are a new section on MalariaWorld, where we interview members about their work and role in the field of malaria. This is our first e-interview, with Mr. Fredros Okumu, working at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania and PhD student at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Last week, Nathan Myhrvold, a former Microsoft executive, presented a fascinating new invention to the world during a talk at the TED conference. The TED talks are renowned for providing a stage for great people with great ideas... 
On 18 January I flew from Amsterdam to Copenhagen for a 3-day 
The James Gang at UC Irvine has made a useful contribution to the question of whether or not transgenic mosquitoes are fit.
In the Lancet of 5 February 1910 I discovered a most interesting little article about malaria on Antigua island (Carribean)...
There is a good reason for putting out a large variety of products with similar function on the market – like cars. It simply has to do with our innate differences in preference with regard to colour, shape, make, etc. Some like a blue car, others a white or a red one. And, suprise surprise, the great level of differentation means that almost everyone can find a car that matches his/her preferences at an affordable price....
This week (1-5 Feb, 2010), scientists are meeting at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria to present recent developments and plan future research in 
Ninety years ago it was discovered that mosquitoes track us down at night by responding to the smell we as humans produce. Since then, many studies have focused on identifying the nature of the chemicals we produce with the aim to use them to lure mosquitoes to trapping devices, thereby interrupting bloodfeeding and thus transmission of diseases like malaria. But why is there still no trap available for use in the developing world where malaria hits hardest?
The statistics say it all: 70% of the transmission of infectious diseases is focused in and around the house. Including malaria, where the key vectors in Africa are almost exclusively feeding indoors and at night. The 
Those who colonize mosquitoes are rightfully protective of them. Some species require a large amount of work to establish in the laboratory, and many of you have given your blood, sweat, holidays, and earnest attention to ensuring they exist. When you distribute it, you are giving a gift.
In most African countries bednets have become common and are contributing to saving countless lives of children. Scaling up of this intervention continues in the second decade of this millennium. Indoor residual spraying is widely practiced though a less common sight in many parts of Africa where spray teams do not reach far-off communities in rural settings.
I know this web site is MALARIA World. But the field of genetic control of vectors is so small that I hope you will indulge me in a blog that reaches into arbovirology and highlights the kind of technology we might anticipate against Plasmodia in Anopheles. Genetic control of vectors received another Christmas gift when a bonus remarkable phenotype due to Wolbachia infection - in addition to cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) and life shortening - was reported in 
Targets for vector control have usually exploited serendipitous findings such as ion channels and hormonal control of development. However, the modern trend to search for specific targets for intervention is bearing fruit. Rogers et al.
It's that time of the year when we all get to see how well the battle against malaria is progressing: The 
Yannis Michalakis & François Renaud GEMI, CNRS-IRD UMR 2724, Montpellier, France 
Andy Tattem and colleagues published a really interesting study in the 
Following the initial forum on the importance of architecture in the design of mosquito proof houses, nearly 500 members viewed the discussion, which is an excellent number to start.
'Mug: De fascinerende wereld van volksvijand nummer I' went on sale in Dutch bookstores last Friday. The book (in Dutch) was written for the general public, to become familiarised with the difficulties of controlling diseases like malaria in developing countries. Given the absence of malaria in the Netherlands since 1959, the Dutch population has now lived for five decades without the threat of a mosquito-borne disease. There is therefore remarkably little general knowledge about mosquito-borne diseases, notably malaria.
The atmosphere in the press room was one of excitement, when it was announced that 
MalariaWorld Newsletter recipients would need to have their heads buried in the sand if they were not well aware of numerous threats to the current methods for reducing malaria transmission. Whether the intervention is insecticides or drugs, their sustainability is threatened by failures which - it is hoped - will not become widespread. Of greater concern for those who are responsible for implementing programs are the complexities of applying control methods in different cultures, education in different languages and achieving sufficient compliance.
The 5th Pan-African MIM meeting on malaria was held in Nairobi last week, and brought together the largest number of participants since the first meeting that was held in Senegal twelve years ago. 
The E words, Eradication and Elimination, are firmly back on the table after at least 2 decades in which they could not be mentioned in polite malaria company. The last two years have seen remarkable progress in translating these concepts into clear strategies and substantial action.
When you read this blog, you may already have signed up for the platform, or visit us as a guest. Either way, we welcome you to the world's first scientific and social network for malaria professionals.
In a recent 
I attended a most interesting meeting yesterday in Wageningen (The Netherlands) where some 30 scientists and representatives of donor organisations gathered. Two scientists from disease-endemic countries (Rwanda and Kenya) presented case studies to the audience. These were followed by a mini 'open space' meeting where attendees could submit questions on post-its for discussion in small groups.
It has been an interesting week regarding the latest addition to the list of species of malaria parasites that can infect humans: Plasmodium knowlesi. I was interviewed by two Dutch radio programmes that picked up the 
Anyone serious about 