WHOPES:
WHO Pesticides Evaluation Scheme
What about the arsenal of public health pesticides?
Public health programmes are faced with a depleting arsenal of safe, efficient and cost-effective insecticides. This is mainly due to the resistance of major vectors to common insecticides which have been misused and overused in agriculture. In addition, the withdrawal or abandonment of certain pesticides for reasons of safety or high cost of re-registration has further reduced the available options.
Considering that very few new insecticide compounds are coming to the market for vector control, judicious, more selective and targeted use of available compounds is essential not only to increase their effective life span, but also for economic and environmental reasons.
WHOPES and its partners promote the development of alternative pesticides and their safe and judicious use in public health.