Vector Control in Chikungunya and Other Arboviruses

Abstract

Mosquito vectors are solely responsible for transmitting diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever, chikungunya, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, lymphatic filariasis and zika virus. Mosquito borne diseases are a leading killer of people and animals in developing countries. The resurgence of diseases and the economic impact caused has brought mosquito control to the forefront. There are 3 mosquitos' genera which are vectors of these diseases , viz. Anopheles, Aedes and Culex, among these the day biting mosquito Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus has become important vectors to two important disease namely Dengue and Zika virus. These diseases have alone been responsible for bringing about morbidity in the large population around the world. Cx. quinquefasciatus is a vector of Chikungunya, which is a viral affection. It's widely spared distribution across various countries. Malaria caused by An. stephensi and An. arabiensis still affects large population in developing world. For control of emerging and reemerging mosquito borne diseases, a sound integrated approach towards comprehensive control is the need of hour which could produce sustained effect. The reemergence of mosquito borne diseases like Zika, DHF and CHIKV coupled with the problem of insecticide resistance has both posed a danger as well as a challenge towards mosquito control. In future novel technologies especially Wolbachia based mosquito control, pesticide nanoemulsions, identification of novel bio-active molecules, and novel bacterial pathogens are the key to success of vector control.