Imagine a world where malaria, dengue, and other vector-borne diseases are eliminated. How do we make that dream a reality? Studies (Bugoro et al 2011; Whittaker & Chang, 2012) have shown that larval control and environmental management might provide part of the answer. They allow us to build excellent complementary solutions based around the five elements of Integrated Vector Management (IVM):

Check out the graphic below to see IVM in action in the Solomon Islands. A river mouth blocked by a sandbar was creating stagnant water pools – an ideal environment for mosquitoes to breed. Under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and with technical support of the World Health Organization, the local communities brought the five elements of IVM together when they constructed a novel vector control solution: an 82 m pipeline that took advantage of local seawater currents to naturally flush dammed rivers and streams and stop mosquitoes from breeding.

In the Solomon Islands, this environmental intervention controlled the primary malaria vector – the Anopheles farauti mosquito – at different stages of its life cycle. Just think about how similar systems might help communities in similar environments flush out Aedes aegypti mosquito breeding sites.