Household and climate factors influence Aedes aegypti presence in the arid city of Huaquillas, Ecuador
The Aedes aegypti mosquito is a vector for Dengue fever, Chickgunya, and other viral diseases which are now endemic in Ecuador. This species thrives in high density urban environments and is highly adaptable. To understand the social and ecological factors that bring together humans and mosquitoes, we conducted a survey of households in Huaquillas regarding demographics, living conditions, and prevention strategies. Mosquitos were also collected from these households periodically using backpack aspirators. Using ordinal logistic models we uncovered important risk factors for households with Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and a beta regression helped us gauge the influence of climatic factors on the population dynamics of the vector.