15 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – The incidence of vector-borne diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region has increased significantly in the past decade. Factors include climate change, expanding and unplanned urbanization, international travel and population movement, weakened health systems in countries facing emergencies and other crises, chronic underinvestment in vector control capacity and growing resistance to insecticides.
Since 1 January 2023 till present, 12 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region have reported dengue outbreaks – up from 3 countries in 2017 – making dengue fever the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne disease. The Region has also witnessed an increasing burden of malaria in recent years, with Pakistan reporting major malaria outbreaks in 2022 and 2023.
In 2023, WHO announced a multi-regional grade 3 emergency for dengue, underlining the urgent need for innovative vector control strategies as part of an integrated vector management approach. Member States are urged to focus on building/strengthening an integrated multisectoral approach to tackle the burden of vector borne diseases.
There has been a global upsurge in dengue transmission. Since early 2023, the number and size of outbreaks has increased along with geographic spread as invasive dengue vectors, most notably the Aedes aegypti mosquito, move to areas previously free of dengue.
As part of a holistic approach to addressing the growing threat of vector-borne diseases, Member States are encouraged to implement early warning and response systems (EWARS) and effective vector and epidemiological surveillance integrated with climate and population data, a strategy employed by the Sultanate of Oman to great success. Early warning and response systems have a proven track record in predicting and managing outbreaks of vector-borne diseases, enabling timely intervention and prevention and enhancing the ability to predict outbreaks and immediately implement control measures.
The Global Vector Control Response 2017–2030, developed by WHO and endorsed by the World Health Assembly in May 2017, urges countries and development partners to strengthen vector control. It builds on the principles of integrated vector management and calls for improved vector surveillance and control capacity to prevent and eliminate vector borne diseases.
While cooperation between Member States, WHO and other international organizations facilitates the exchange of successful experiences and resources, enhancing the effectiveness and scale up of integrated vector control efforts, there is a critical need for new tools and approaches.
A number of interventions submitted for evaluation to the WHO Vector Control Advisory Group have adopted promising new approaches.
During the Seventy-first session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean, a side event focused on new approaches to preventing and controlling dengue and other mosquito-borne disease outbreaks. The aim of the event was to update Member States on newly available tools to enhance preparedness, prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases. It also aimed to identify areas for collaboration and technical support between Member States and WHO to strengthen national and regional capacities.
Panel members included the head of veterinary public health at the Vector Control and Environment unit at WHO Geneva, the head of entomology at the National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and three representatives from countries with experience of dengue management and the use of new tools.
