Anne L. Wilson
The importance of vector control for the control and elimination of vector-borne diseases
Wilson, Anne L.; Courtenay, Orin; Kelly-Hope, Louise A.; Scott, Thomas W.; Takken, Willem; Torr, Steve J.; Lindsay, Steve W.
Authors
Orin Courtenay
Louise A. Kelly-Hope
Thomas W. Scott
Willem Takken
Steve J. Torr
Professor Steve Lindsay s.w.lindsay@durham.ac.uk
Professor
Abstract
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) such as malaria, dengue, and leishmaniasis exert a huge burden of morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly affecting the poorest of the poor. The principal method by which these diseases are controlled is through vector control, which has a long and distinguished history. Vector control, to a greater extent than drugs or vaccines, has been responsible for shrinking the map of many VBDs. Here, we describe the history of vector control programmes worldwide from the late 1800s to date. Pre 1940, vector control relied on a thorough understanding of vector ecology and epidemiology, and implementation of environmental management tailored to the ecology and behaviour of local vector species. This complex understanding was replaced by a simplified dependency on a handful of insecticide-based tools, particularly for malaria control, without an adequate understanding of entomology and epidemiology and without proper monitoring and evaluation. With the rising threat from insecticide-resistant vectors, global environmental change, and the need to incorporate more vector control interventions to eliminate these diseases, we advocate for continued investment in evidence-based vector control. There is a need to return to vector control approaches based on a thorough knowledge of the determinants of pathogen transmission, which utilise a range of insecticide and non–insecticide-based approaches in a locally tailored manner for more effective and sustainable vector control.
Citation
Wilson, A. L., Courtenay, O., Kelly-Hope, L. A., Scott, T. W., Takken, W., Torr, S. J., & Lindsay, S. W. (2020). The importance of vector control for the control and elimination of vector-borne diseases. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 14(1), Article e0007831. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007831
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Online Publication Date | Jan 16, 2020 |
Publication Date | 2020 |
Deposit Date | Apr 29, 2020 |
Publicly Available Date | Apr 29, 2020 |
Journal | PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
Print ISSN | 1935-2727 |
Electronic ISSN | 1935-2735 |
Publisher | Public Library of Science |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 14 |
Issue | 1 |
Article Number | e0007831 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007831 |
Public URL | https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1271937 |
Files
Published Journal Article
(1.2 Mb)
PDF
Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Copyright Statement
Copyright: © 2020 Wilson et al. This is an open
access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original
author and source are credited.
You might also like
Downloadable Citations
About Durham Research Online (DRO)
Administrator e-mail: dro.admin@durham.ac.uk
This application uses the following open-source libraries:
SheetJS Community Edition
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
PDF.js
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
Font Awesome
SIL OFL 1.1 (http://scripts.sil.org/OFL)
MIT License (http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.html)
CC BY 3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
Powered by Worktribe © 2025
Advanced Search