Association between Human Mobility Along the Northern Peruvian Amazon and Malaria Vector Counts: A Secondary Data Analysis

Abstract

Despite a substantial global decline in malaria transmission, the disease remains a significant public health concern. Although most cases occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, transmission persists across parts of Latin America, particularly within the Amazon Basin. In Peru, malaria remains concentrated in the northeastern department of Loreto, where ecological conditions favor the survival and proliferation of the malaria vector. Alongside environmental factors, human mobility has increasingly been recognized as an important driver of malaria transmission because movement between communities redistributes exposure and facilitates parasite spread across geographically separated settings.This study assesses the association between human mobility and malaria vector abundance across communities in the northern Amazon. Using a secondary data analysis design, entomological surveillance data from previously published studies were integrated with origin–destination human mobility dyadic data from the NIH-funded R01 AI151056 study. Descriptive statistics, spatial mapping, network centrality measures, and regression analyses were conducted to examine mosquito distributions, community connectivity, and associations between mobility and vector abundance. Results indicate that mosquito abundance and human mobility across the northern Amazon are highly heterogeneous and concentrated within a limited number of communities that play central roles in regional connectivity. Associations between mobility and vector abundance varied by species, with Nyssorhynchus darlingi demonstrating the most consistent positive relationship. These findings highlight the value of integrating ecological and human network approaches to better understand malaria connectivity patterns in the region.