Management of insect borne human diseases – A case study on novel bio-larvicide for mosquito borne diseases including dengue

In India National Vector Borne Diseases Control programme is an umbrella organization for management and control of six out of eight insect-borne human diseases, viz., Malaria, Lymphatic Filariasis (LF), Kala-azar, Dengue/ Chikungunya, and Japanese Encephalitis. Of these, India is committed for elimination of the first three diseases from the country. 8.6% of India’s total population belongs to tribal community yet contribute 21% of Plasmodium falciparum infection and 29% of malaria-related deaths. There is an urgent need to implement novel strategies to overcome insecticide resistance in Anopheles culicifacies that transmit 60-70% of malaria cases in India. One such strategy is to use Chilodonella uncinata, an indigenous, maternally transmitted, facultative protozoan bio-larvicide with many biological control properties against mosquito vectors. In view of the above, if India really aims to achieve malaria elimination by 2030, there is an urgent need that tribal regions are given more attention.