Summary

In this study session, you have learned that:

• Malaria transmission is directly affected by different climatic factors.
• There is an optimal range of temperature that is best for the development of the vector and the parasite.
• Temperature greatly influences the distribution of malaria in Ethiopia; most highlands in Ethiopia have very little or no malaria due to low temperature.
• Altitude is the most important factor that determines the distribution of malaria. Altitude and temperature are closely related in Ethiopia. Lowlands are warm (good for malaria transmission), highlands are too cold for malaria parasites and vectors to develop.
• Higher humidity makes the vector live longer; malaria is transmitted by vectors that live 8–10 days so the parasites have time to develop.
• The main malaria transmission in Ethiopia is after the rainy season because rainfall creates many vector breeding grounds.
• Several non-climatic factors affect the severity and incidence of malaria transmission, including the type of vectors and parasites, environmental developments and urbanisation, population movement and migration, the level of immunity in the human hosts, insecticide resistance in mosquitoes, and drug resistance in parasites.