Syngenta and Goodbye Malaria take on insecticide resistance in vector control
The spread of malaria through mosquitoes poses a constant health risk to those who live in susceptible areas such as sub-Saharan Africa, making it critical to keep mosquito populations down. Unfortunately, insecticide-resistant strains of mosquitoes pose a threat to this effort — making it that much more important for vector control teams to be strategic about mosquito control methods.
Syngenta recently teamed up with Goodbye Malaria to host a webinar on the theory and implementation of resistance management in vector control. During hour-long presentation, speakers provided insights into what causes insecticide resistance in mosquitoes, strategies for combatting resistance and how to implement a rotation strategy, as well as a case study of rotation strategies in southern Mozambique.
Indoor residual spraying is an essential tool for vector control, and it has been used across sub-Saharan Africa to great effect. However, when new modes of action are not introduced into insecticide rotations, countries stand to lose the gains they’ve made against mosquitoes. We’re confident that by helping vector control teams understand and prioritize resistance management strategies, we can continue to make progress toward our goal of a malaria-free Africa.
Below you can find an overview of each topic discussed during the webinar.
The mosquito lottery: How to make sure we win
Mark Hoppé - Public Health entomologist, Syngenta; IRAC PH team chair
Hoppé explained what causes insecticide resistance in mosquitoes and gave examples of good resistance management programs. Additionally, he offered resources for more information such as IRAC-Online.org.
Strategies to mitigate vector resistance
Dr. David Zinyengere - Regional training, monitoring and evaluation manager, Syngenta
Dr. Zinyengere provided insights into developing effective strategies for combating insecticide resistance, including the deliberate use of insecticides, diversifying insecticide classes by using rotations throughout the year, and routine insecticide monitoring.
Insecticide rotation strategy by AGAMal
Kwame Desewu - AngloGold Ashanti Malaria Control Limited (AGAMal)
Desewu provided an overview of the experience AGAMal had with insecticide resistance in Ghana after using the same modes of action for several years, as well as the positive effects they’re seeing after introducing a resistance management strategy.
Southern Mozambique’s rotation experience
Celso Alafo - Goodbye Malaria
Alafo gave insight into southern Mozambique’s implementation of an insecticide rotation strategy, including how the use of data to dictate resistance management has the country on track to see less than 5% prevalence of malaria by 2025.