Understanding key vectors and vector-borne diseases associated with freshwater ecosystem across Africa: Implications for public health

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dc.contributor.authorOkoro, J
dc.contributor.authorDeme, G
dc.contributor.authorOkoye, C
dc.contributor.authorEbido, C
dc.date.accessioned2023-03-22T18:04:08Z
dc.date.available2023-03-22T18:04:08Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractThe emerging and re-emerging vector-borne diseases transmitted by key freshwater organisms have remained a global concern. As one of the leading biodiversity hotspots, the African ecoregion is suggested to harbour the highest number of freshwater organisms globally. Among the commonly found organisms in the African ecoregion are mosquitoes and snails, with a majority of their life cycle in freshwater, and these freshwater organisms can transmit diseases or serve as carriers of devastating diseases of public health concerns. However, synthetic studies to link the evident abundant presence and wide distribution of these vectors across the freshwater ecosystems in Africa with the increasing emerging and re-emerging vector-borne diseases in Africa are still limited. Here, we reviewed documented evidence on vector-borne diseases and their transmission pathways in Africa to reduce the knowledge gap on the factors influencing the increasing emerging and re-emerging vector-borne diseases across Africa. We found the population distributions or abundance of these freshwater organisms to be increasing, which is directly associated with the increasing emerging and re-emerging vector-borne diseases across Africa. Furthermore, we found that although the current changing environmental conditions in Africa affect the habitats of these freshwater organisms, current changing environmental conditions may not be suppressing the population distributions or abundance of these freshwater organisms. Instead, we found that these freshwater organisms are extending their geographic ranges across Africa, which may have significant public health implications in Africa. Thus, our study demonstrates the need for future studies to integrate the environmental conditions of vectors' habitats to understand if these environmental conditions directly or indirectly influence the vectorial capacities and transmission abilities of vectors of diseases. We propose that such studies will be necessary to guide policymakers in making informed policies to help control vector-borne diseases.en_US
dc.identifier.citationOkoro, Joseph & Deme, Gideon & Okoye, Charles & Eze, Sabina & Odii, Elijah & Gbadegesin, Janet & Okeke, Emmanuel & Oyejobi, Greater & Nyaruaba, Raphael & Ebido, Chike. (2022). Understanding key vectors and vector-borne diseases associated with freshwater ecosystem across Africa: Implications for public health. Science of The Total Environment. 862. 160732. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160732.en_US
dc.identifier.issn0048-9697
dc.identifier.issn1879-1026
dc.identifier.issn10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160732
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10566/8652
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherElsevieren_US
dc.subjectVector distributionen_US
dc.subjectDisease burdenen_US
dc.subjectVector ecologyen_US
dc.subjectVector-borne diseasesen_US
dc.subjectPublic healthen_US
dc.titleUnderstanding key vectors and vector-borne diseases associated with freshwater ecosystem across Africa: Implications for public healthen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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