Community-Based Entomological Surveillance and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Community-based surveillance and control methods (CBMs) present opportunities to decentralize surveillance and control efforts while simultaneously enhancing community education, leadership, and participation in the fight against vector-borne diseases (VBDs). A scoping review was conducted to describe how CBMs are being utilized currently to combat malaria, dengue fever, Chagas disease, tick-borne diseases (TBDs) and other mosquito-borne diseases (MBD) exclusive of dengue and malaria, and to overall highlight key approaches, lessons learned, potential challenges, and recommendations. A total of 304 potential publications were identified among which 82 met the inclusion criteria. This scoping review highlighted the following benefits to CBMs: cost savings, increased sustainability, increased community knowledge, human behavior changes, increased surveillance coverage, ease in deployment, and the creation of larger, more diverse entomological datasets. Potential challenges highlighted include: participant retention and motivation, participant recruitment and incentives, continued governmental support, data quality, and collaboration with local municipal authorities. CBMs are commonly and successfully used in vector surveillance and control systems, but the chosen vector management method varies by vector-borne disease and region of the world. Additional research is needed to support the implementation of CBMs including cost-effectiveness studies and those studies with negative outcomes. Taken together, this scoping review highlights key aspects, potential challenges, and benefits of CBMs, and outlines potential future directions for incorporating CBMs into VBD control and elimination programming, and potential for community based integrated vector management (IVM) approaches.