Background: Mosquito-borne viruses, such as Zika, dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya, are important causes of human diseases nearly worldwide. The greatest health risk for arboviral disease outbreaks is the presence of the most competent and highly invasive domestic mosquito, Aedes aegypti. In Cabo Verde, two recent arbovirus outbreaks were reported, a dengue outbreak in 2009, followed by a Zika outbreak in 2015. This study is the first entomological survey for Ae. aegypti that includes all islands of Cabo Verde archipelago, in which we aim to evaluate the actual risk of vector-borne arboviruses as a continuous update of the geographical distribution of this species. Methods: In order to assess its current distribution and abundance, we undertook a mosquito larval survey in the nine inhabited islands of Cabo Verde from November 2018 to May 2019. Entomological larval survey indices were calculated, and the abundance analyzed. We collected and identified 4045 Ae. aegypti mosquitoes from 264 positive breeding sites in 22 municipalities and confirmed the presence of Ae. aegypti in every inhabited island. Results: Water drums were found to be the most prevalent containers (n = 3843; 62.9%), but puddles (n = 27; 0.4%) were the most productive habitats found. The overall average of the House, Container, and Breteau larval indices were 8.4%, 4.4%, and 10.9, respectively. However, 15 out of the 22 municipalities showed that the Breteau Index was above the epidemic risk threshold. Conclusion: These results suggest that if no vector control measures are considered to be in place, the risk of new arboviral outbreaks in Cabo Verde is high. The vector control strategy adopted must include measures of public health directed to domestic water storage and management.
IntroductionThe transmission of pathogens by blood-sucking insects to humans and other animals depends on vector-host interactions. As yet unexplored in Cape Verde, mosquito feeding behavior plays a crucial role in pathogen transmission. Herein, we aim to explore, through blood meal analysis, the relationship between mosquito species and common hosts in Santiago Island, Cape Verde.MethodsEngorged female mosquitoes were collected through mechanical aspiration from May 2016 to December 2017 in three municipalities of Santiago Island (Praia, Santa Cruz, and Santa Catarina). Blood-feeding behavior in each municipality was assessed through blood meal analysis using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).ResultsWe were able to determine that single-host blood meals were common in Aedes aegypti, Anopheles arabiensis, and Culex pipiens sensu lato (s.l.). In general, the mosquitoes preferred to feed on humans, dogs, and chickens, and on multiple hosts, mainly two hosts. The human blood index (HBI) was highest (i.e., 1.00) in Ae. aegypti, with the lowest value (0.40) observed in An. arabiensis. It was observed that, among single-host blood meals, the likelihood of Cx. pipiens s.l. feeding on humans was significantly high, whereas the likelihood of An. arabiensis feeding on humans was significantly low (log-odds ratio (LOR) = 0.85 and –2.44, respectively). In addition, a high likelihood of Ae. aegypti feeding on humans was observed, but this was not statistically significant (LOR = 0.85).DiscussionOverall, our findings demonstrate a lack of feeding preference in Culex pipiens s.l. compared with Ae. aegypti and An. arabiensis. These results provide insights into possible parasite transmission and pathogen spillover/spillback, which threaten human/animal health and the economy in Cape Verde.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease usually caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological profi le of Tuberculosis in Cabo Verde from 2006 to 2016. This is an epidemiological, longitudinal and descriptive study in which the secondary data on Tuberculosis were obtained from the annual statistical reports of the Ministry of Health. Incidence, prevalence, mortality rate and percentage of new cases of Tuberculosis, were calculated by age group, gender and treatment for each year. During the study period, 3 282 new cases of all forms of Tuberculosis were registered. The average annual incidence rate was 59 / 100,000. It was observed a higher incidence of the disease among men in the age group of 25 to 34 years old. Pulmonary Tuberculosis was the most frequent form of tuberculosis. The mortality rate in this period remained stable. Although there are positive effects from Tuberculosis control measures in the country, there is the need for complementary measures by developing active surveillance, strengthening the laboratory diagnosis capacity in order to reduce the disease prevalence and prevent multi-drug-resistant Tuberculosis. Moreover, there is a need for complementary epidemiological studies.
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