Malaria epidemiology in Korhogo area, Northern Côte d'Ivoire, before a vector control intervention

Background: Insecticide resistance is widespread within malaria vector populations, threatening the effectiveness of vector control strategies. It therefore calls for innovative strategies integrating different tools already available or under development. The present study describes malaria epidemiology in the Korhogo area prior to the implementation of complementary control measures alongside long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs). Methods: Data were collected in heath care centres from July 2016 to July 2017, covering 398,424 person-weeks from 26 villages of the health district of Korhogo in northern Côte d’Ivoire. In addition, three cross-sectional surveys were conducted from September 2016 to March 2017. Clinical and parasitological data were gathered through an active malaria case detection among people under 21 years of age. Results: The mean weekly malaria incidence around the year in the entire population was 0.25 case per 100 person-weeks, corresponding to 130 cases per 1000 person-years. During the transversal surveys, malaria cases prevalences ranged from 13.4% to 43.4%. Blood smears from 6 villages showed parasite prevalence ranging from 85.4% to 100%. P. falciparum single infection represent 97% but we found mixed infection with P. malariae and P. ovale . Conclusion : Active case detection conducted through three transversal surveys highlights that the study area displays malaria hotspot characteristics. With its dense hydrographic network, this region presents an ideal epidemiological and ecological setting for evaluating control strategies to complement universal LLIN coverage to combat malaria transmission.