Integrated Vector Management - Biological and Environmental Control of Disease Vectors - page 175

10 Integrated Vector Management

Mary M. Cameron,* Melissa Bell and Annabel F.V. Howard
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK

10.1 Introduction

and source reduction; (iii) the use of insecticides
both as larvicides and adulticides; (iv) an
appreciation of the possibilities of biological
control by recognizing the role of fi sh in reducing
larval numbers; and (v) training and education
(WHO, 1983). Nevertheless, problems have
arisen with both IPM and IVC approaches. The
acceptance and implementation of IPM has
been slow, and IVC did not support sustainability
or adequately consider economic impacts of
interventions (Mörner et al ., 2002). Following
on from the lessons learned from IPM and IVC,
the concept of integrated vector management
(IVM) was developed to make optimal use of
resources and tools for vector control (WHO,
2004a).

As described in the previous chapters, an arsenal
of biological and environmental interventions
exists to control a range of dif erent vectors.
However, in general, the consensus is that,
although a single biological or environmental
intervention may signifi cantly reduce a vector's
population, more than one intervention is
required to interrupt disease transmission. In
several of the previous chapters, an integrated
approach has been suggested for disease control,
which is an attractive proposal because, as some
vectors transmit more than one disease and
some interventions are suitable for more than
one vector, it should result in a maximal impact
on public health. The concept of integrated pest
management (IPM), the combination of dif erent
methods to limit pest infestations in crops, was
fi rst applied in the agricultural sector in the
1950s but has since evolved to broader
defi nitions to include a framework for
sustainability of the agricultural system
(Mörner et al ., 2002). In parallel, in the 1980s,
the growing interest in vector control methods,
other than the application of residual
insecticides, led to the development of integrated
vector control (IVC) strategies based on the
principles of IPM. The IVC approach included: (i)
personal protection; (ii) habitat management

10.2 The Concept of Integrated Vector
Management

Ef ective IVM requires the establishment of
principles, decision-making criteria and pro-
cedures, together with time frames and targets.
These principles need to be incorporated into
national and international health policies and
supported by legislation and regulation. To be
successful, IVM requires an inventory of
essential functions and organizational struc-
tures that optimize the use of fi nancial, human

* [e-mail]