Vector-borne diseasesaccount for more than 17% of all infectious illnesses and cause over a million deaths annually. Infections carried by mosquitoes make a substantial contribution to the global burden of vector-borne diseases; every year, malaria is responsible for more than 600,000 deaths, and50-100 million peopleare thought to be infected with dengue. After attending two tropical medicine meetings hosted by RSTMH – the biennialMeasuring Progressconference and a one-daymeetingon vector-borne diseases –BMC Medicinetakes a look at the current impact of mosquito-borne diseases and the steps being taken to combat them.

Dengue outbreaks and surveillance

A number of dengue outbreaks have recently been reported, with infections seen inMadeira,ChinaandIndia. Highlighting the Madeira outbreak at the RSTMH vector-borne diseases meeting, Carla de Sousa from theLisbon Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicinedescribed thatAedes aegypti, the dengue-carrying mosquitoes responsible for the recent outbreak, breed in areas near standing water such as plant pots and abandoned houses. de Sousa also explained the control measures – including salt water flushing of drains and insecticide application – that helped to bring the outbreak under control.

Dengue infectioncauses a flu-like illness in most people and is rarely life-threatening, but severe complications can occur in some patients. While there were no deaths in the Madeira outbreak, fatalities have been reported this year inMalaysiaandChina. Given this variation in severity, it is important to identify those at risk of developing severe dengue infection early on to prioritize treatment for those most in need. One way of doing this is through predictive markers; in areview articlepublished recently inBMC Medicine, Sophie Yacoub andBridget Willsdiscuss biomarkers that have the potential to predict severe infection risk and prioritize early intervention.

So what is being done to monitor and prevent future outbreaks of dengue? At the RSTMH vector-borne diseases meeting, Federico Gobbi described current surveillance efforts for dengue,West Nile Feverandchikungunyain Italy. As described in Gobbi’sresearch articlepublished inBMC Infectious Diseases, monitoring these diseases should help to detect potential outbreaks at an early stage where vector control measures can be employed to prevent the infections spreading. Raman Velayudhan from the World Health Organization described three phases foraction against denguein Europe: controlling the vector, preventing the disease, and limiting its spread. Velayudhan highlighted that:

“[Dengue is a] high medical need that remains unaddressed“

Mapping the spread of infection

Geospatial mapping is another strategy currently being explored to monitor and predict outbreaks of vector-borne diseases.Moritz Kraemer概述了全球分布地图如何帮助predict the spread ofarbovirus vectorsto inform control strategies. At the RSTMH Measuring Progress meeting,Peter Gethingdiscussed data from theMalaria Atlas Project, which provides a dynamic evaluation of bothPlasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivaxmalaria over time, as well as modeling the impact of control efforts to inform future strategies.

Controlling insect vectors

From insecticide spraying to modifying mosquitoes’ immune systems, a number of speakers highlighted ways in which insect disease vectors can be controlled.Henrique Silveradescribed the results of experimental studies where mosquitoes were injected with immunomodulatory molecules to reduce their susceptibility to infection, whereasBart Knolspresented promising early results of usingeave tubesto prevent malaria-carrying mosquitoes from entering houses in Tanzania. Knols explained that inserting tubes containing insecticide-treated nets into the eaves of houses is a cost-effective strategy to reduce the spread of malaria, as low levels of insecticide are required, and the tubes can be installed by local workmen.

Vector control, geospatial mapping of outbreaks and environmental interventions all have the potential to reduce the global burden of malaria, dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases. At the RSTMH Measuring Progress meeting,Alan Magillexplained that these measures, together with vaccines, mass drug administration, rapid detection and combating drug resistance, are important as we take steps towards the elimination of malaria. Magill emphasized that malaria eradication must be achieved, highlighing that concurrent measures are required for malaria elimination, in a collaborative approach towards complete detection, complete cure and complete transmission prevention.

To highlight current progress towards the ultimate goal of malaria eradication, BMC Medicine’sCombating malaria: research, prevention and treatmentarticle collection is now open for submissions. We are seeking submissions of articles in all areas of malaria research, including vaccine development, antimalarial agents, diagnosis, vector control and disease epidemiology in both P. falciparum and P. vivax malaria. IF you have any research you would like us to consider for inclusion in this article collection, please emailbmcmedicineeditorial@biomedcentral.com.

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