MALARIA TRANSMISSION BY ANOPHELES PUNCTULATUS IN THE HIGHLANDS OF IRIAN-JAYA, INDONESIA

A 21-month (1991-1992) assessment of malaria and the relative contribu tion of Anopheles punctulatus and An. koliensis to its transmission wa s conducted in Oksibil, a highland community in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. Nearly all (98%) of the 2577 Anopheles from indoor or outdoor human-l anding collections were An. punctulatus. Nineteen (0.75%) of the 2518 An. punctulatus tested were positive when tested for malaria circumspo rozoite protein (CSP) by ELISA: nine (45% of positives) for Plasmodium vivax-210, six (30%) for Plasmodium falciparum, three (15%) for P. vi vax-247 and two (10%) for P. malariae. One mosquito was positive for b oth P. vivax 210 and P. falciparum. All 59 An. koliensis tested were n egative. All mosquitoes positive for CSP were from indoor collections, 89% from the main houses and the remaining 11% from the traditional d wellings (bokams). These findings are discussed with respect to highla nd malaria epidemiology and transmission in the Oksibil Valley.