Mosquito Control By Abatement Programmes In The United States: Perspectives And Lessons For Countries In Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Africa and the United States are both large, heterogeneous geographies with a diverse range of ecologies and climates and mosquito species diversity, which contribute to disease transmission and nuisance biting. In the United States, mosquito control is nationally and regionally coordinated, much as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provides guidance, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides pesticide registration, and the states provide legal authority and oversight, the implementation is usually decentralized to the state, county, or city level. Mosquito control operations are organized, in most instances, into fully independent mosquito abatement districts, public works departments, local health departments. In some cases, municipalities engage independent private contractors. to undertake mosquito control within their jurisdictions. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where most vector-borne In disease-endemic countries, mosquito control is organized centrally at the national level. In this model, the disease control programmes (national malaria control programs) or national malaria elimination programmes (NMCP) NMEP) are embedded within the central governments’ ministries of health (MoHs) and drive vector control policy development and implementation. Because of the high disease burden and limited resources, the primary endpoint of mosquito control in these settings is the reduction of mosquito-borne diseases, primarily malaria. In the United States, however, the endpoint is mosquito control; therefore, significant (or even greater) emphasis is laid on nuisance mosquitoes. quitoes as much as disease vectors. The authors detail experiences and learnings gathered by the delegation of Afri‑ can vector control professionals that participated in a formal exchange programme initiated by the Pan-African Mos quito Control Association (PAMCA), the University of Notre Dame, and members of the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) in the United States between the years 2021 and 2022. The authors highlight the key components of mosquito control operations in the United States and compare them to mosquito control programmes in SSA countries endemic for vector-borne diseases, deriving important lessons that could be useful for vector control in SSA.