Project Syndicate: Killing Killer Mosquitoes
Melvin Sanicas, regional medical expert at Sanofi Pasteur for Asia, Japan, and the Pacific

“…Eradicating mosquito-transmitted diseases must … be a top priority, eliciting not just effective government stewardship, but also the involvement of civil society, private-sector engagement, and the participation of affected communities. Beyond effective collaboration, success will demand improved surveillance and greater innovation, particularly in diagnostics, drugs and vaccines, insecticides, and vector control. The good news is that, on vector control — that is, mosquito eradication — promising innovations are already emerging. … Such innovations promise to accelerate substantially efforts to curb deadly mosquito-borne diseases. The question is the extent to which they will be applied. After all, far more basic measures that individuals can take to protect themselves and their families are not being implemented nearly enough. … Such techniques … can go a long way toward protecting individuals. But people need to use them. And, for that, information must be shared widely, and the relevant tools made available to the public…” (9/8).