Bio-Insecticides: The One- Health Response to Mosquito-Borne Diseases of Public Health Importance

Abstract

Mosquito-borne diseases are among the leading causes of human and animal illnesses and deaths globally. Mosquitoes are found throughout the world; are nuisances, hosts and vectors of many disease-causing parasites of public health importance. These diseases include malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, etc. Mosquitoes pose significant threat to human and animal health, are a global challenge with huge medical and economic impact. Control of mosquitoes is a major component of vector-disease management; chemical insecticides remain the mainstay of control as documented in scholarly reports. The effectiveness of available methods have been limited by factors including insecticide resistance, high operational costs, toxicity on non- target organisms and environmental pollution. The emphasis on public health and environmental protection has led to global concerns about these risks and prompted the search for environmentally-friendly products. Bio-insecticides are based on natural products or microorganisms and are able to control pests including insect vectors effectively with minimal environmental impact. This paper comments on the significant research progress for bio-developed insecticides in response to the need for eco-friendly products, the role of multidisciplinary approach to encourage innovation in bio-insecticide development and its application as a one-health response to mosquito-borne infectious diseases of Public Health importance.