Assessing dengue vector abundance in Penang Island by cluster analysis

Abstract

Dengue is one of the deadliest mosquito-borne diseases in the world. Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti are the two responsible vectors for the disease. In this study, self-organizing map (SOM) was applied for ordination, clustering and mapping of the Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus abundance with their breeding container sizes. It was found that the abundance of vector related with the size of breeding container. Regardless of urbanization level, Ae. albopictus was more abundant in medium size containers, while Ae. aegypti was found more abundant in large containers. This finding suggested that for control efforts, eliminating medium and large breeding containers will significantly reduce Aedes population in Penang Island.