Vector Control

Aims, Objectives, Goals & Importance

 Insect vectors
Vector borne diseases are transmitted by blood-sucking insects.

Mosquitoes are by far the most important group of disease vectors.

 discomfort

adverse effects

vector borne disease.

Economic loss
Loss of Resources

The most deadly vector borne disease, Malaria, kills over 1.2 million people annually, mostly African children under the age of five.
Dengue fever, together with associated dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), is the world's fastest growing vector borne disease.

Poorly designed irrigation and water systems, inadequate housing, poor waste disposal and water storage, deforestation and loss of
biodiversity, all may be contributing factors to the most common vector-borne diseases including malaria, dengue and leishmaniasis.
 Significance of Vector Control
• for diseases with no effective cure eg., west nile virus
vector control remains the only way to protect populations
protection of populations

treatment prevention

• impact of disease and virus is devastating

so need to control vectors is prioritized
• Minimize the risk of human exposure to vector born disease
• decrease in mortality rates: esp in third world countries

• reduce high cost of treatment

• control spreading of vectors (across countries)
Vector control strategies

• Chemical control (Adults)

• Space spraying
• Larval control
• Biological control
• Environmental control
• Personal protection
 Vector control is any method to limit or eradicate the mammals, birds, insects or other arthropods (here collectively called "vectors")
which transmit disease pathogens.

To reduce the incidence of vector and communicable diseases

The primary objectives of Vector Control are to:
• Protect the public from discomfort and adverse effects of vector bites; and
• Minimize the risk of human exposure to vector born disease.
• For diseases where there is no effective cure, such as Zika virus, West Nile Virus and Dengue fever, vector control remains the only
way to protect human populations.
However, even for vector-borne diseases with effective treatments the high cost of treatment remains a huge barrier to large amounts of
developing world populations

Vector control is an important component of many disease control programmes and has been a cornerstone of every effective campaign
to control vector borne diseases such as malaria, dengue and yellow fever. For diseases where there is no effective treatment or cure,
such as West Nile Virus and Dengue fever, vector control remains the only way to protect populations.

Both prevention through vector control and treatment are needed to protect populations.
As the impacts of disease and virus are devastating, the need to control the vectors in which they carried is prioritized. Vector control in
many developing countries can have tremendous impacts as it increases mortality rates, especially among infants. Because of the high
movement of the population, disease spread is also a greater issue in these areas.
As many vector control methods are effective against multiple diseases, they can be integrated together to combat multiple diseases at
once. (one for many; many for one)
The World Health Organization therefore recommends "Integrated Vector Management" as the process for developing and implementing
strategies for vector control.
 Types of vector control
Selective, Integrated, Comprehensive,
Selective vector control is an integral part of many vector-borne disease control activities. Its
implementation envisages targeted site-specific use of available vector control methods, taking into
consideration technical and operational feasibility, resources and infrastructure.

The emergence and re-emergence of vector borne diseases and the environmental concerns triggered by the over reliance
on insecticides invoked in WHO the importance of integrated vector control (IVC) in the early 1980s. The IVC approach
was described as the utilization of all appropriate, safe and compatible means of control to bring about an effective degree
of vector suppression in a cost-effective manner. In 1992, a Global Malaria Control Strategy was formulated, which
provided for planning and implementation of selective and sustainable preventive measures, including vector control.
By the mid-1990s, the IVC further evolved into a selective vector control (SVC) approach, which was considered as, the
targeted use of different vector control methods alone or in combination to prevent or reduce human-vector contact cost-
effectively, while addressing sustainability issues. It was essentially a unified plan that included use of one or more
methods of control. Later, selective vector control was redefined as, - application of targeted, site specific and cost-
effective activities to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality.
Since it was considered that a unified management structure could manage two or more vector borne diseases (VBD)
prevalent in the same area, the concept of comprehensive vector control (CVC) was adopted which was defined as,
control of vectors of two or more diseases through a unified managerial structure using similar or different methods. As
such, it was recognized that vector control is well suited for integrated approaches because some vectors are responsible
for multiple diseases while some interventions are effective against several vectors.