The mosquito and malaria: Would mosquito control alone eliminate the disease?

Malaria is a crucial human disease that illustrates the role of the mosquito vector in transmission and epidemiology. The global history of malaria vector control led to the rolling out of bed nets, before exposing the limits to this strategy. The move to insecticide-treated bed nets began a new era of control with significant reductions in malaria-related morbidity and mortality. Of these reductions, 78% were attributable to vector control, highlighting the role of malaria vectors in the occurrence of the disease. Today, rapidly increasing levels of insecticide resistance threaten to jeopardize these successes. From the concept of Integrated Vector Management (IVM), a new Global Vector Control Response was developed by the World Health Organization. This new strategy calls for integration of existing and innovative tools of vector control, illustrated by house improvement, larval source management, chemical and behavioural control, biological and biorational methods and genetic tools. The most successful control programmes will include community engagement, monitoring and surveillance. It is expected that with this novel IVM approach, further reductions in malaria can be achieved.