Vector control to fight malaria

Malaria is mostly controlled through the use of bed nets and insecticides, but progress has stalled and we need new vector control interventions. Mosquitoes can be affected by endectocides carried in the blood of hosts. Clinical trials will determine whether ivermectin administered to human or cattle can be used to impact malaria transmission.

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I am a medical entomologist and malaria epidemiologist permanently based at the KEMRI Wellcome Trust Programme in Kilifi, Kenya. My primary focus lies in developing novel malaria control strategies and conducting clinical trials to evaluate novel complementary interventions. I am interested in one health vector control approaches targeting outdoor-biting mosquitoes that feed on humans and livestock, aiming to reduce residual malaria transmission. I also lead the development of a novel, cost-effective, entomological surveillance tool based on MALDI-TOF MS to support national malaria control program of Kenya.

I originally trained in veterinary medicine and one-health. I obtained my PhD from the Free University of Berlin, evaluating insecticide-treated fences to protect cattle from disease vectors and evaluating the combination of this strategy with the concept of zooprophylaxis - targeting human malaria vectors that bite cattle. Following this, I pursued a post-doctoral fellowship at LSHTM, where I researched spatial repellents for malaria vector control, based at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania. During this time I conducted research evaluating the neighboring effects of repellents and health equity implications of repellents if used programmatically. Later, I joined the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) as a scientific collaborator, dedicated to the development and testing of innovative malaria vector control methodologies, including plant-based mosquito repellents, spatial repellents, attractive-toxic sugar baits, and mosquito attractants. 

I joined the University of Oxford in 2018 as the principal investigator of the BOHEMIA project evaluating mass drug administration (MDA) of ivermectin for malaria control in coastal Kenya. Result from this study reported a 26% reduction in malaria transmission in a setting with high bed-net coverage.