Role Of The Construction Industry In Promoting Mosquito Breeding In And Around The Accra Metropolis, Ghana

A wide range of water-holding containers are exploited by mosquito vector as sites for oviposition of eggs and larvae development. The study was aimed at determining the role of the construction industry in promoting mosquito breeding in and around the Accra metropolis, Ghana. A two-month larval survey was carried out at selected construction sites in and around the Accra metropolis. Routine daily larval sampling was done from mosquito breeding sites at the construction sites using the dipper method. Larvae samples were collected from sites such as small pools of water collection and concrete water containers. The larval population was estimated for each breeding site and the physical and chemical characteristics of the breeding sites were recorded. The presence of other aquatic fauna and flora were also noted and recorded. Water samples for a total of 30 different construction sites were sampled. Seventy percent (21/30) of the breeding sites sampled were positive for mosquito larvae. A total of 1475 mosquito larvae comprising of the three main genera: Culex, Aedes and Anopheles were collected. Culex species occurred in all the breeding sites and made up 54.1% of the overall sample collection, followed by Aedes species (28.1%) and Anopheles species (17.8%). A number of other fauna and flora, non-target organisms, were observed both at the sites and in the collected samples. These included Odonata nymphs, Notonectidae, water snail (Bulinus species), tadpoles and algae. The results of this study indicate that residential development sites should be strongly considered for inclusion in the local mosquito surveillance and control programs in order to reduce the public health risk related to the construction industry.