Dengue Fever (DF) and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) have been the most common urban diseases in Southeast Asia since the 1950s. More recently, the diseases have spread to Central and South America and are now considered as worldwide diseases. Both Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are involved in the transmission of DF/DHF in Southeast Asian region. The paper discusses the present status and future prospects of Aedes control with reference to the Malaysian experience. Vector control approaches which include source reduction and environmental management, larviciding with the use of chemicals (synthetic insecticides and insect growth regulators and microbial insecticide), and adulticiding which include personal protection measures (household insecticide products and repellents) for long-term control and space spray (both thermal fogging and ultra low volume sprays) as short-term epidemic measures are discussed. The potential incorporation of IGRs and Bacillus thuringiensis-14 (Bti) as larvicides in addition to insecticides (temephos) is discussed. The advantages of using water-based spray over the oil-based (diesel) spray and the use of spray formulation which provide both larvicidal and adulticidal effects that would consequently have greater impact on the overall vector and disease control in DF/DHF are highlighted.
Insecticide-treated mosquito nets were first put to practical use in the Western Pacific Region. Less than a decade after conducting workshops and other promotional activities, millions of people were protected by 1989. This occurred before the availability of commercially produced pretreated nets and before global funding for mass net distribution. This paper describes the sequence of steps leading to regional control success. The beginning stages in 1979 recognized that treating torn mosquito nets was a viable control option. Basic net treatment procedures were established by 1983 and workshops were held the next 2 years in China, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Vietnam. Malaria staff became convinced of net benefits and were motivated to impart their knowledge to others. Village inhabitants soaked the nets in washbasins containing permethrin or deltamethrin solution, then dried them horizontally on mats. By the 1990s, the population protected by nets had appreciably increased, and regional malaria cases confirmed by microscopy were markedly reduced. This coincided with commercial interest to mass-produce pretreated mosquito nets for worldwide use.