NAIROBI, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan researchers are set to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) in tracking and surveilling mosquito populations, marking a major technological advancement in the fight against malaria.
Eric Ochomo, a lead entomologist at the Kenya Medical Research Institute's Center for Global Health Research, stated on Wednesday that the AI-powered technology, known as VectorCam, is being integrated into ongoing malaria vector research to augment conventional surveillance techniques.
The VectorCam system combines standard smartphones with specialized light boxes and artificial intelligence algorithms to quickly identify mosquito species and analyze population characteristics, enabling researchers to collect high-precision field data more efficiently.
"The technology is helping to tell the mosquito species, feeding status and the sex. The mosquito collected is then placed on the AI device to allow collection of the data," Ochomo said in comments published by a local daily newspaper.
Ochomo noted that malaria remains a major public health challenge across Sub-Saharan Africa, and in Kenya specifically, continuing to drive high rates of morbidity and mortality despite decades of intensive control interventions.
Sunny Patel, co-founder of VectorCam, who was also quoted by the newspaper, explained that field operations will leverage local networks, with Community Health Promoters utilizing smartphone-based tools during routine community engagements.
He added that artificial intelligence holds transformative potential for national malaria control programs by strengthening vector surveillance, forecasting localized outbreaks, refining diagnostics, optimizing treatment strategies, and guiding targeted resource allocation.
The two researchers noted that AI-powered mosquito surveillance will be carried out in part by Community Health Promoters across malaria-endemic regions.
This technological integration complements core vector control interventions, including Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets, Indoor Residual Spraying, and larval source management, which have been instrumental in reducing malaria transmission across Kenya. ■