Chemicals applied in the study districts, Uganda, 2011-2015
In Apac District, propoxur, pirimiphos-methyl, malathion and fenitrothion were applied in single years. Fenitrothion was only used in Apac District. In Tororo District, pirimiphos-methyl was also applied in a single year. In Kanungu District, malathion was not applied. In Wakiso District, propoxur , pirimiphos-methyl, and malathion were applied in single years. In Hoima District, DDT, deltamethrin, and pirimiphos-methyl were used in single years, while propoxur, permethrin and malathion were not used during the period of study (Table 1).
Susceptibility status of Anopheles gambiae mosquito vectors against chemicals, Uganda, 2011-2015
Carbamates
In Apac District, Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes were fully susceptible to bendiocarb in all the years the chemical was used in the assays. Propoxur was used only in 2011, and the vector was susceptible. In Hoima District, there was a 4% drop in mortality of the mosquito vector by bendiocarb from 99% in 2011 to 95% in 2013, indicating a shift from susceptibility to partial resistance. In Kanungu District, mortality of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes by bendiocarb was 97% signifying probable resistance. In 2013, mortality by bendiocarb increased by 3% signifying susceptibility. Mortality proportions remained the same in 2015. There was 100% mortality of vector by propoxur in Kanungu District in 2011, 2013 and 2015. In Tororo District, there was a 12% increase in vector mortality by bendiocarb and 17% mortality increase by propoxur. However, Anopheles gambiae vector mosquitoes were not susceptible to both chemicals in Tororo District. In Wakiso District, bendiocarb, which was potent against the Anopheline vector in 2011, dropped in mortality by 14% in 2013. The vector mosquitoes were not susceptible to bendiocarb in Wakiso in 2013. There was only probable resistance to propoxur in 2013, the year it was used in Wakiso District (Figure 2).
Pyrethroids
In 2011 and 2013, there was confirmed resistance to both deltamethrin and permethrin in Apac and Hoima Districts. There were no data for tests conducted in both districts in 2015. In Kanungu District, there was confirmed resistance to deltamethrin in 2011 and 2015 and total resistance in 2013. The mosquito vectors were not susceptible to Permethrin in all the years in Kanungu District. In Tororo District, there was confirmed resistance to both deltamethrin and permethrin in all the years of testing. In Wakiso District, there was partial susceptibility to both permethrin and deltamethrin in 2011. However, there was a 53% drop in mortality by deltamethrin and 73% drop by permethrin in 2013, therefore signifying full resistance (Figure 2).
Organophosphates
The mosquito vector was susceptible to all organophosphates in all the sentinel sites in all the years they were used for testing (Figure 2). Chemicals in this class were applied in Apac and Hoima Districts only in 2011.
Organochlorines
In this category, only one chemical (DDT) was applied. Except in Hoima District where it was applied only in 2013, in the rest of the districts, it was applied in 2011 and 2013. In all the districts, the chemical did not show any potency against malaria vector. In Apac District, the chemical was a partial susceptibility of Anopheles gambiae to DDT. In all the other sentinel sites, there was full resistance with mortality (Figure 2).
Trends of Anopheles gambiae mortality, Uganda, 2011-2015
In Apac District, there was a 59 percentage point increase in mortality by deltamethrin between 2011 and 2013, and 54%-point increase by permethrin in the same period. Both increases were significant (p<0.01). In Kanungu District, there was a 45% drop in the mortality of Anopheles gambiae malaria vector between 2011 and 2013 by deltamethrin and a similar rise during 2013 to 2015. Within the same periods, the district registered a 54% and 26% drop in permethrin mortality respectively. However, the drop between 2013 and 2015 was not significant (p=0.26). In Tororo District, there were drops in malaria vector mortality by both deltamethrin and permethrin. While the 44% decline by deltamethrin was significant (p=0.0001), permethrin did not register a significant decline (p=0.32). Wakiso District registered significant declines in malaria vector mortalities by both deltamethrin and permethrin (p<0.01). Deltamethrin mortality declined by 54%, while permethrin mortality dropped by 73%.
Organophosphate chemicals did not show any significant difference in mortality of malaria vectors in all selected districts over the years of study (p=1.0).
Mortality of malaria vectors by DDT improved in Apac District between 2011 and 2013. However, this was not significant (p=0.57). In Kanungu District, there was a 64% improvement in mortality of malaria vector by DDT from 2011 to 2013; this increase was significant (p=0.002). In Wakiso District, the 54% decline in mortality by DDT was significant (p=0.02), while that in Tororo District was not significant (p=0.36).
The carbamate chemicals did not show any significant trend in Apac, Hoima and Kanungu Districts across the years of application. In Tororo District, there was a 12% increase in mortality of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes by bendiocarb and propoxur between 2011 and 2013. In Wakiso District, there was a 14% decline in mortality by bendiocarb between 2011 and 2013. The changes in both Tororo and Wakiso Districts were significant (Table 2).