Brussels, Belgium
4 November 2010

On the occasion of the 59th Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), CropLife International and its partners from the vector control industry are proud to introduce the CropLife International Vector Control Project Team (VCPT)*. This Team will work together to optimise the private sector’s contribution to the fight against malaria through existing, proven interventions.

Vector-borne diseases infect nearly half of the world’s population. The vast majority of those impacted live in developing countries in tropical and subtropical regions. Malaria is the leading vector-borne disease causing illness, suffering and almost a million deaths a year. Yet malaria is preventable, treatable, and curable through the use of several well-known interventions such as indoor residual house spraying (IRS), long-lasting insecticidal bednets and life-saving anti-malaria drugs. However, these interventions are often unavailable to those who need them most.

The members of the CropLife International VCPT aim to make sustainable, lasting contributions to the fight against malaria and other vector-borne diseases, and seek to continuously advance new and innovative vector control tools.

The development of resistance to the insecticides used in crop protection and insect vector control is a threat to agriculture, as well as the fight against malaria and arbovirus control programmes worldwide. In recognition of this, CropLife International is also working to facilitate communication and education on insecticide and acaricide resistance, as well as promoting the development of resistance management strategies that maintain the efficacy of insecticidal vector control interventions and support improved public health.

As part of this effort, CropLife International has developed a manual entitled “Prevention and Management of Insecticide Resistance in Vectors of Public Health Importance”, of which a new edition will be launched shortly. This manual outlines the principles of insecticide resistance management for decision makers and operators in the field of insect vector control. It is hoped that this manual, along with educational material, will further improve stewardship and the effective and sustainable use of insecticide resources available for vector control.

The Vector Control Project Team and the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) Public Health team will be represented at the ASTMH conference 3 – 5 November 2010 in Atlanta, USA and will be happy to address questions and share their experience with visitors.

* CropLife International member companies are BASF, Bayer CropScience, Dow AgroChemical, DuPont, FMC, Monsanto, Sumitomo Chemical Company and Syngenta. Non-CropLife members also represented on the CropLife International Vector Control Project Team are Vestergaard Fransen, Clarke Mosquito Control, Bestnet Europe and Tana Netting.

Website: http://www.croplife.org

Published: November 4, 2010