Strategic Approach, Advances, and Challenges in the Development and Application of the SIT for Area-Wide Control of Aedes albopictus Mosquitoes in Reunion Island

Autor: Louis Clément Gouagna, David Damiens, Clélia F. Oliva, Sébastien Boyer, Gilbert Le Goff, Cécile Brengues, Jean-Sébastien Dehecq, Jocelyn Raude, Frédéric Simard, Didier Fontenille
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Insects, Vol 11, Iss 11, p 770 (2020)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2075-4450
DOI: 10.3390/insects11110770
Popis: The global expansion of Aedes albopictus, together with the absence of specific treatment and vaccines for most of the arboviruses it transmits, has stimulated the development of more sustainable and ecologically acceptable methods for control of disease transmission through the suppression of natural vector populations. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is rapidly evolving as an additional tool for mosquito control, offering an efficient and more environment-friendly alternative to the use of insecticides. Following the devastating chikungunya outbreak, which affected 38% of the population on Reunion Island (a French overseas territory in the southwest of the Indian Ocean), there has been strong interest and political will to develop effective alternatives to the existing vector control strategies. Over the past 10 years, the French Research and Development Institute (IRD) has established an SIT feasibility program against Ae. albopictus on Reunion Island in collaboration with national and international partners. This program aimed to determine whether the SIT based on the release of radiation-sterilized males is scientifically and technically feasible, and socially acceptable as part of a control strategy targeting the local Ae. albopictus population. This paper provides a review of a multi-year and a particularly broad scoping process of establishing the scientific and technological feasibility of the SIT against Ae. albopictus on Reunion Island. It also draws attention to some prerequisites of the decision-making process, through awareness campaigns to enhance public understanding and support, social adoption, and regulatory validation of the SIT pilot tests.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
Nepřihlášeným uživatelům se plný text nezobrazuje