Malaria remains the most complex and overwhelming health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. The disease is compounded by the generally poor social, environmental and economic conditions in the region. Most sub-Saharan African countries are experiencing unprecedented rate of population growth which has led to uncontrolled and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, especially the forests resources. Through the process of forest clearing, deforestation alters every element of local ecosystems such as microclimate, soil, and aquatic conditions, and most significantly, the ecology of local flora and fauna, including malaria vectors. Mosquitoes are highly sensitive to environmental changes because of deforestation: their survival, density, and distribution are dramatically influenced by small changes in environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity, and the availability of suitable breeding sites. Changes in mosquito ecology and human behaviour patterns in deforested regions influence the transmission of malaria and deforestation has therefore been shown to increase the risk of malaria transmission in sub-Saharan. Because deforestation is a process that cannot be readily controlled for a variety of political and economic reasons, investigations and assessments of possible impacts of future deforestation will be crucial to minimize the ecological degradation caused by human activities and to control epidemics of malaria. Introduction Malaria remains the most complex and overwhelming health problem, facing humanity with 300 to 500 million cases and 2 to 3 million deaths per year 1 . About 90% of all malaria deaths in the world today occur in sub-Saharan Africa (Figure 1) and this is because majority of infections are caused by Plasmodium falciparum, the most dangerous of the four human malaria parasites (P. falciparum, P. ovale, P. vivax, P.malariae), accounting for an estimated 1.4 to 2.6 million deaths per year in this region 23 . In addition, the most effective malaria vector- the mosquito Anopheles gambiae is the widest spread in the region and the most difficult to control 2 . In some areas of sub-Saharan Africa people receive 200 to 300 infective bites per year 45 . The vector population in sub-Saharan Africa is uniquely effective, with the six species of the Anopheles gambiae complex being the most efficient vectors of human malaria in the region, and often considered the most important in the world. An. funestes is also capable of producing very high inoculation rates in a wide range of geographic, seasonal, and ecological conditions 6 . These vectors have proven effective in transmitting the malaria parasite to humans across the region, in rural and urban areas alike. An. pharoensis is also widely distributed in Africa, geographically and ecologically, and can maintain active transmission of malaria even in the absence of the main malaria vectors 7 . Malaria in sub-Saharan Africa is a problem of dimensions unlike those seen anywhere else in the world today. The magnitude of malaria in the region is affected by a variety of factors, none of which addressed alone is likely to effect a resolution. It is further compounded by the generally poor social, environmental and economic conditions in sub-Saharan Africa. Most sub-Saharan African countries are experiencing unprecedented rate of population growth without any appreciable improvement in the socio-economic status of the populace. There is therefore a high level of poverty and underdevelopment in the region particularly in the rural areas. One major consequence of this situation is uncontrolled and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, especially the forests resources, which has generated severe environmental, ecological and public health problems including increase in vector-borne diseases like malaria. Forests are among the world’s most important biomes in terms of the area of land surface they cover (approximately 30% of all land - over 3.8 billion
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