NEWS: Integrated Vector Management Is The Way Forward

19 November 2009
London 19 November 2009: The first World Health Organisation Integrated Vector Management (IVM) stakeholders' meeting was held in Geneva this week, where participants developed a roadmap aimed at strengthening evidence-based decision-making for new initiatives in vector control.

Vector control aims to decrease contacts between humans and vectors of human disease. In the case of malaria, for example, control of mosquitoes may prevent malaria as well as several other mosquito-borne diseases.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), representatives at the meeting also recommended the setting up of a partnership mechanism to facilitate effective information sharing and foster better collaboration with regards to the implementation of Integrated Vector Management programmes.

The meeting, held between 11-13 November, was attended by about 60 representatives from different institutions and programmes and chaired by Dr Sylvia Meek, Malaria Consortium’s Technical Director. Delegates from national vector-borne disease control programmes, government-supported agencies, academia, international organisations and staff from WHO Secretariat also participated in the three-day meeting.

IVM is a rational decision-making process for the optimal use of resources for vector control. The approach seeks to improve the efficacy, cost-effectiveness, ecological soundness and sustainability of disease-vector control.

The ultimate goal of IVM is to prevent the transmission of vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis and Chagas disease.

For more information, visit http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/vector_ecology/en/

For more information on Malaria Consortium’s involvement in IVM, please contact Diana Thomas, Communications Manager, [email protected]