The guest blog below was contributed by Prof. Matt Thomas, of
Penn State University. Read more about Professor Thomas here.
Everybody would like to see the burden of malaria reduced and
while there might be some disciplinary biases, most would agree
that long-term sustainable management of malaria requires
integrated strategies built on solid foundations of local
knowledge and capacity. Of the broad approaches available (and
by available I include potential tools somewhere along the
development pipeline), vector control is clearly pivotal. This
is not to diminish the importance of other technologies, such as
drugs or diagnostics, but much of the recent decline in malaria
can be attributed to wide-scale implementation of vector control
tools such as long lasting insecticide treated bed nets (LLINs)
and indoor residual insecticide sprays (IRS). Furthermore, in
nearly every historical case where malaria has been
substantially reduced or locally eliminated, vector control has
been key. Given its unequivocal impor