139 Dengue vector control: critical needs and opportunities for helping to control the dengue pandemic

Aedes aegypti mosquito control is currently the only option for controlling and preventing epidemic dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever. However, current approaches for vector control are not stemming the rising tide of dengue disease throughout the tropical world. In the absence of a vaccine, new and effective approaches are needed to improve vector control. Novel approaches to prevent dengue virus transmission will be described and discussed, including (1) the Casa Segura approach to prevent dengue transmission in the home, (2) development of a new generation of molecular mosquitocides to address the rise of resistance to existing insecticides, and (3) engineering dengue virus resistant mosquitoes. There is a public health imperative to increase the armamentarium for vector control.