GLOBAL USE OF INSECTICIDES FOR VECTOR-BORNE DISEASE CONTROL

Saturday, 20th of August 2011

The first of these two WHO reports is a multiyear review of the use of insecticides – primarily through the use of IRS (indoor residual spraying) and of LLINs – in vector control, especially against malaria and leishmaniasis.

There is a widespread perception that the use of IRS is on the wane. Readers of the first report will note that annual use of DDT in Africa averages >800 tons, a fact not yet widely known. DDT and the more expensive malathion are, respectively, the first and second most commonly used insecticides for indoor residual spraying.

The use of synthetic pyrethroids for LLINs, seen in many countries as universal coverage of all sleeping spaces becomes the norm, requires careful entomological monitoring. The cheers went up in the late ‘50s after the initial successes of household spraying against malaria. Then insecticide resistance began in many successful Asian programmes in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Shall we see the same patterns of rapid development of insecticide resistance in the present decade?

Good reading.

Dear colleagues,

This is to inform you of the publication of the following WHOPES documents. These have been published on the web only:

1. Global use of insecticides for vector-borne disease control – A 10-year assessment (available at http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789241502153_eng.pdf); and

2. Report of the 14^th WHOPES Working group Meeting - Review of Spinosad^® EC, Lifenet^® LN, MagNet^TM LN, Royal Sentry^® LN, Yahe^® LN, 11—15 April 2011, Geneva, World Health Organization (http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789241502160_eng.pdf).

With kind regards,

Rajpal Yadav

Dr Rajpal S. Yadav

Scientist, WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme, Vector Ecology and Management

Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization

20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27 Switzerland

Email: yadavraj@who.int

Web: http://www.who.int/whopes