Household mosquito control strategies in different land use types in Kumasi, Ghana: Knowledge, practices and insecticide resistance

Landscape modifications could create breeding habitats for mosquitoes and affect mosquito community structure with implications on household mosquito control methods, insecticide usage frequency and insecticide susceptibility. This study provides information on the knowledge and usage pattern of insecticides in different human settlements (auto-mechanic industrial and residential) in Ghana and the insecticide susceptibility of the local Anopheles population. A structured questionnaire was administered to residents of one of the largest informal industrialised settlements in Africa (Suame Magazine) and a residential settlement (Bremang) to determine their knowledge, perception and usage pattern of mosquito control methods. Female adult Anopheles were used in susceptibility tests using mosquito coils (0.08% meperfluthrin, 0.03% dimefluthrin and 0.3% transfluthrin) and World Health Organization (WHO) insecticide test papers (0.05% deltamethrin, 4% DDT, 0.1% bendiocarb, 0.25% pirimiphos-methyl and 5% malathion). Although insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and aerosols were used to control mosquitoes, mosquito coils were widely preferred. The female adult Anopheles mosquitoes were resistant to all the insecticides except pirimiphos-methyl. Land use type did not affect insecticide resistance in the mosquitoes, but insecticide type did. The findings highlight the prevailing issues on mosquito insecticide usage patterns and the possible challenges of mosquito vector control programmes in differing human settlements. Mosquito control programmes must also focus on domestic insecticide usage patterns and their implications on local vector populations for effective vector management.