Trends in Parasitology
The Innovative Vector Control Consortium: improved control of mosquito-borne diseases
Section snippets
Control of vector-borne disease
The vector-borne diseases (malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis, filariasis, and Chagas disease) cause extensive morbidity and mortality, and are a major economic burden within disease-endemic countries (DECs; Table 1). Control of each of these diseases, which are all transmitted primarily in or around the home, is difficult. The optimal means of controlling any one of them is likely to be a combination of vector control, drugs, management of clinical illness and/or vaccines. Although drug and
Limitations of current control methods
The cost of insecticide treatments is prohibitive in many settings. There are also legitimate environmental and human health concerns about the use of many older-generation insecticides, such as DDT. The result is that the number of public health insecticides available is dwindling and vector-borne disease transmission is increasing. Furthermore, early efforts to reduce indoor residual insecticide application rates have sometimes led to re-emergence of disease. For example, limiting malaria
The Innovative Vector Control Consortium
The Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) is an initial five-year programme, established in November 2005 and, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It is a new public–private partnership designed to improve the tools and technologies available for malaria and dengue vector control. Its ultimate goal is to reduce transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens around the home through improved control of adult household vectors with innovative tools. Vector control tools that the IVCC
New insecticides and formulations
There are two distinct tracks within the IVCC, the first of which aims to develop new insecticides and formulations. The second currently has four pre-selected projects to improve vector control delivery.
Improved decision support tools for vector control
Public health programme managers apply insecticides for disease control on the basis of incomplete, often anecdotal data and/or general guidelines. For example, data about insecticide resistance in the vector population are either obtained in an ad hoc manner or inferred from apparent failure of vector control. The four projects that make up Objective 2 are designed to improve decision making about management of malaria and dengue vector control programs. The projects will involve an iterative
Global access issues
The only source of investment return for an insecticide registered for malaria control is through sales of the product to programme managers in malaria-endemic countries. Although small, this return can be enough (when combined with public sector inputs) to sustain insecticide manufacture and distribution. Economic feasibility and commercialization analyses will be early and important criteria for prioritization of candidate pesticides for development. Commercial partners will be expected from
Conclusions: the impact of the IVCC on disease reduction
A major strength of the IVCC is its direct links with existing disease prevention programs. All its interventions will be tested within the context of these real control programs; both the new insecticide formulations and the refinement of its informatics and decision support tools will therefore be informed continuously and specifically by local control efforts. Effective implementation of the new innovative vector control tools, which will be based on rigorous evaluations in the context of
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