COVER STORY
Photo: Michael BĂśckler
RECENT VECTOR CONTROL STRATEGIES, such as IVM, aim to integrate measures that best suit specific living conditions and people’s way of life in the community.
to specifically address local problems and situations and optimize knowledge and resources. Emphasis is on personal protection methods, locally suitable environmental management, biological or larvicidal source reduction and limiting human-vector contact. The aim is to control, manage and monitor VBDs at all stages of disease incubation and transmission. One of the conclusions should be that even within IVM the judicious use of chemicals is one of the cornerstones of effective and sustainable vector control, including the use of suitable and approved products in the right manner. This means anticipating the development of resistance. So it requires resistance prevention schemes or resistance management strategies, since it cannot be predicted that we will have major new chemical classes in the near or mid-term future. Vector control interventions should be decided on at the lowest possible administrative level, i.e. closest to the communities affected by the disease. But such decisions should be supported by the best information and technologies currently available, as discussed above. Thus integrated vector management also seeks to integrate national and international health sector infrastructures and resources, as well as collaborate with relevant public and private sectors. Already a number of public and private initiatives have demonstrated PUBLIC HEALTH JOURNAL 19/2008
how these can work together to reduce vectorborne diseases, resulting not only in improved health but also providing economic benefits (see: MCDI, page 49). Endorsed by the WHO, integrated vector management is seen as a vital component to help global efforts achieve the Millennium Development Goals. IVM could play a major role in reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, increasing economic productivity while helping sustain the environment. CONCLUSION Few vector control programs implement integrated vector management strategies effectively. Too many programs concentrate on single-issue campaigns and quick-fix solutions. As vector control tools, scientific knowledge and new methods emerge, integrated vector management strategies offer a way to optimize all these into an economical, sustainable approach to combat vector-borne diseases. Article on the enclosed Public Health CD-ROM
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