Research Officer
PhD
Adam is experienced in mosquito control interventions and mosquito ecology. He holds a PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Imperial College London where his focus was on how insecticide resistance in mosquito vectors may impact malaria transmission. Prior, he obtained an MSc in Public Health from the University of Edinburgh.
Before joining TKI in October 2020, Adam was a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and based at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania as a visiting scientist. His research in Tanzania involved developing and evaluating novel vector control interventions. He also conducted studies on mosquito dispersal, triggering an interest in spatial ecology.
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Publications
July 2023
A randomized, double-blind placebo-control study assessing the protective efficacy of an odour-based 'push-pull' malaria vector control strategy in reducing human-vector contact
Novel malaria vector control strategies targeting the odour-orientation of mosquitoes during host-seeking, such as 'attract-and-kill' or 'push-and-pull', have been suggested as complementary tools to indoor residual spraying and long-lasting insecticidal nets. These would be particularly beneficial if they can target vectors in the peri-domestic space where people are unprotected by traditional interventions.
Published research Geospatial Health and Development MalariaApril 2023Evaluating COVID-19-Related Disruptions to Effective Malaria Case Management in 2020–2021 and Its Potential Effects on Malaria Burden in Sub-Saharan Africa
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to far-reaching disruptions to health systems, including preventative and curative services for malaria. The aim of this study was to estimate the magnitude of disruptions in malaria case management in sub-Saharan Africa and their impact on malaria burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used survey data collected by the World Health Organization, in which individual country stakeholders reported on the extent of disruptions to malaria diagnosis and treatment.
Published research Infectious Diseases Geospatial Health and Development COVID-19 MalariaMarch 2023Human landing catches provide a useful measure of protective efficacy for the evaluation of volatile pyrethroid spatial repellents
The human landing catch (HLC) method, in which human volunteers collect mosquitoes that land on them before they can bite, is used to quantify human exposure to mosquito vectors of disease. Comparing HLCs in the presence and absence of interventions such as repellents is often used to measure protective efficacy (PE).
Published research MalariaJuly 2022Less is more: repellent-treated fabric strips as a substitute for full screening of open eave gaps for indoor and outdoor protection from malaria mosquito bites
Providing protection from malaria vector bites, both indoors and outdoors, is crucial to curbing malaria parasite transmission. Screening of house entry points, especially with incorporated insecticides, confers significant protection but remains a costly and labour-intensive application. Use of spatial repellents has shown promise in creating areas of protection in peri-domestic areas.
Published research Geospatial Health and Development MalariaJune 2022The Centres for Disease Control light trap and the human decoy trap compared to the human landing catch for measuring Anopheles biting in rural Tanzania
Vector mosquito biting intensity is an important measure to understand malaria transmission. Human landing catch (HLC) is an effective but labour-intensive, expensive, and potentially hazardous entomological surveillance tool. The Centres for Disease Control light trap (CDC-LT) and the human decoy trap (HDT) are exposure-free alternatives.
Published research Infectious Diseases Geospatial Health and Development MalariaAugust 2021Transfluthrin eave-positioned targeted insecticide (EPTI) reduces human landing rate (HLR) of pyrethroid resistant and susceptible malaria vectors in a semi-field simulated peridomestic space
Volatile pyrethroids (VPs) are proven to reduce human-vector contact for mosquito vectors. With increasing resistance to pyrethroids in mosquitoes, the efficacy of VPs, such as transfluthrin, may be compromised. Therefore, experiments were conducted to determine if the efficacy of transfluthrin eave-positioned targeted insecticide depends on the resistance status of malaria vectors.
Published research Infectious Diseases Geospatial Health and DevelopmentMay 2021Semi-field evaluation of the exposure-free mosquito electrocuting trap and BG-Sentinel trap as an alternative to the human landing catch for measuring the efficacy of transfluthrin emanators against Aedes aegypti
The human landing catch (HLC) measures human exposure to mosquito bites and evaluates the efficacy of vector control tools. However, it may expose volunteers to potentially infected mosquitoes. The mosquito electrocuting trap (MET) and BG-Sentinel traps (BGS) represent alternative, exposure-free methods for sampling host-seeking mosquitoes. This study investigates whether these methods can be effectively used as alternatives to HLC for measuring the efficacy of transfluthrin emanator against Aedes aegypti.
Published research Geospatial Health and Development