larvicide
The Drone Edge in Vector Control
Achieving global vector control’s potential requires “realigning programs to optimize the delivery of interventions that are tailored to the local context [and]…strengthened monitoring systems and novel interventions with proven effectiveness.” This includes “integration of non-chemical and chemical vector control methods [and] evidence-based decision making guided by operational research and entomological and epidemiological surveillance and evaluation.”
Drones or “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAVs) can save time and money compared to conventional ground-based surveys. Sophisticated models and monitoring equipment can be purchased for a few thousand dollars. They don’t require a pilot’s license, they are becoming easier to fly, and their paths can be fully automated through AI, machine learning, global positioning systems, and computer vision.
Urban Africa Faces Invasive Challenge
Malaria numbers are surging in the Horn of Africa, but not in rural settings.
Djibouti is a small country of around 900,000 inhabitants on the Horn of Africa that rests on the shores of Bab al-Mandab strait, just 20 miles from the coast of Yemen and southwest Asia. Ten years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) proudly proclaimed that Djibouti was entering the “pre-elimination phase” in its longstanding battle against malaria. Pre-elimination status is reached when a country’s number of confirmed malaria cases approaches zero.
Beyond Catch Basins: Managing Culex Populations
Catch Basins and West Nile Virus Transmission In urban environments, road-side catch basins are common larval habitats of Culex species mosquitoes and important targets of …
Redefining the Problem that is Container Mosquitoes
Breakthroughs in Aedes control show potential for WNv programs, but more study is needed. WALS™ has gained notoriety in the recent past because of its …
Single-brood Floodwater Innovation Gains Momentum
VECTOPRIME USE EXPANDS IN FORMULATION’S SECOND YEAR Single-brood control of floodwater mosquitoes has long been a particularly tough challenge for mosquito control districts. Just as …