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Africa Knows! It is time to decolonise minds

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Accepted Paper: F40-06. To panel F40.

Title of paper:

Authors:

Marilyn Milumbu Murindahabi (University of Rwanda-CST);

Arash Hoseni;

Constantianus Koenraadt (Wageningen University and Research);

Leon Mutesa (University of Rwanda).

Long abstract paper:
Despites the tremendous progress that Rwanda has made in the fight against malaria in recent decades, the resurgence of malaria since 2012 has questioned the capacity of health authorities to survey malaria carrying mosquitoes. Citizen science has shown potential in supporting invasive mosquito monitoring programs in developing countries, with the aim to control the spread of emerging mosquito-borne diseases. With the goal to complement the mosquito monitoring system in place in Rwanda, a one-year citizen science program was designed and implemented in five selected villages of Ruhuha sector, Rwanda. In this area, mosquito monitoring programs are not established due to limited budget. The data collected by volunteer citizens were used to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of malaria vectors. Environmental factors that explained mosquito species distribution and abundance were evaluated. Factors that contribute to the success of citizen science for mosquito monitoring will be discussed.