STUDIES ON THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF LEISHMANIASIS IN KENYA - FLIGHT RANGE OF PHLEBOTOMINE SANDFLIES IN MARIGAT, BARINGO DISTRICT

A study on the flight range of phlebotomine sandflies using the mark-release-recapture technique was undertaken in Marigat, Baringo District, Kenya, to determine the distance sandflies are able to travel and assess their importance in disease transmission. Over a period of 17 months, a total of 108,429 sandflies collected from their natural habitats were marked and released from a central point in a valley. Of these, 842 (0.8%) sandflies comprising 11 species were recaptured. Ninety-five percent of the recaptured sandflies were recovered within a radius of 50 m from the release point and 54% within a radius of 10 m. Two Sergentomyia ingrami females were recaptured at a distance of 1000 m from the release point.