Professional Documents
Culture Documents
and political will to carry out a nonchemical ap- certainly an option that is used, is not always
proach to malaria control in most malarious ar- effectiv becauseareas are too vast or inacces-
eas of the world. This is why the development sible except by aircraft. The vector control pro-
of a malaria vaccine has such a high priority in gram is left with no alternative than to use chem-
the World Health Organization (Pan American ical adulticides to reduce the adult populations
Health Organization I 994). of mosquitoes.
So what is the answer to the premise of this
meeting? Can vector control be conducted with-
CONTROL OF VECTORS_
out chemicals?
WITHOUT DISEASE
I believe I have indicated that this may be
The secondperspective,the control ofvectors possible. However, in epidemic situations and
without the presenceof disease,provides more even in many nonepidemic ones, the control of
opportunities for controlling vectors u.ithout vectors will depend on the use of chemicals for
chemicalsbecausethere is no needto kill infected quick, or complete, results. I seeno effective short-
vectors, but instead the aim is to prevent pro- term alternative at this time. Our dependenceon
duction of sufficient numbers of vector mosqui- chemicalcontrol will remain with us for the fore-
toes that are capable of transmitting diseaseto seeablefuture.
humans. In mosquito control the most efficient
methods for accomplishing this aim are by source
reduction and/or larviciding. The use of insect REFERENCESCITED
growth regulators or microbial larvicides would Baker,R. H. 1992. Malaria.J. Fla. Mosq. Control
allow for vector control without chemicals.Pro- Assoc.53:39-47.
grams that are strictly larviciding or water man- Fernald,L. 1963. Encephalitis controloperationsin
agement programs, such as many of those pro- PinellasCounty,Florida,in 1962.Mosq.News23:
gramsconductedin California and otherwestern 49-50.
states,where most ofthe breedingareasare man- Matheson,R. 1950. Medicalentomology,2nd ed.
made,can and do conduct vector control without ComstockPubl.Co.,Ithaca,NY.
Meehan,P. R. Mullen,E. Bufi A. LewisandD. Wells.
chemicals.
1991. An epidemicof St.Louisencephalitis-Flor-
In the easternUSA, however, the situation is ida, 1990(anabstract).
J. Fla.Mosq.Control.Assoc.
quite different and breeding areas are primarily 62:45.
natural habitats (wetlands)where water manage- Pan American Health Organization. 1994. Malaria
ment is difficult, if not impossible, due to envi- vaccines:from laboratoryto field.Epidemiol.Bull.
ronmental constraints. Larviciding, although I 5 :l - l 6 .