Environmental and meteorological factors linked to malaria transmission around large dams at three ecological settings in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence suggests that dams intensify malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the environmental characteristics underpinning patterns in malaria transmission around dams are poorly understood. This study investigated local-scale environmental and meteorological variables linked to malaria transmission around three large dams in Ethiopia. METHODS: Monthly malaria incidence data (2010–2014) were collected from health centres around three dams located at lowland, midland and highland elevations in Ethiopia. Environmental (elevation, distance from the reservoir shoreline, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), monthly reservoir water level, monthly changes in water level) and meteorological (precipitation, and minimum and maximum air temperature) data were analysed to determine their relationship with monthly malaria transmission at each dam using correlation and stepwise multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Village distance to reservoir shoreline (lagged by 1 and 2 months) and monthly change in water level (lagged by 1 month) were significantly correlated with malaria incidence at all three dams, while NDVI (lagged by 1 and 2 months) and monthly reservoir water level (lagged by 2 months) were found to have a significant influence at only the lowland and midland dams. Precipitation (lagged by 1 and 2 months) was also significantly associated with malaria incidence, but only at the lowland dam, while minimum and maximum air temperatures (lagged by 1 and 2 months) were important factors at only the highland dam. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that reservoir-associated factors (distance from reservoir shoreline, monthly average reservoir water level, monthly water level change) were important predictors of increased malaria incidence in villages around Ethiopian dams in all elevation settings. Reservoir water level management should be considered as an additional malaria vector control tool to help manage malaria transmission around dams. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12936-019-2689-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.