A review of entomological sampling methods and indicators for dengue vectors
Infectious Disease Analysis, Gainsville, Florida, USA
Summary
This review was developed in response to a recommendation of the WHO Informal Consultation on Strengthening Implementation of the Global Strategy for Dengue Fever/Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever Prevention and Control, held in October of 1999, urging "the refinement of existing entomological indicators and/or the development of new indicators that better reflect transmission potential."
The document reviews and critiques current methods, focusing especially on sampling methods that provide information on (1) the risk of transmission as a function of vector abundance and on (2) the relative or absolute importance of the various types of containers in the environment. This second aspect is essential when considering a suppression strategy designed to minimize costs or to improve sustainability by targeting only a subset of the breeding containers for control or elimination - specifically those container types that are responsible for the majority of adult production. In reviewing current and generally-used sampling methods, each is discussed with respect to transmission risk assessment and evaluated in terms of being useful for either "research or special studies" or as practical operational tools providing useful information for planning and management of vector control programmes.