ABSTRACT

Vector-borne diseases pose a major threat to human populations, especially in the tropics, where populations of vectors such as mosquitoes flourish in abundance. Many of the most dangerous human diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, are transmitted by insect vectors. The control of vector-borne diseases presents a major challenge to global health officials, as every year hundreds of millions of people suffer from them (World Health Organisation, 2014). Most of the approaches in the control of vector-borne diseases have focused on mathematical methods in describing the dynamics of the interactions of host and parasite or the simulation models in describing the parasite/ vector behaviour in relation to environmental

conditions (Gettinby et al., 1992). Previously, the control of these diseases was dependent on decreasing the number of infective bites either through the use of insecticide-treated bed nets or indoor residual spraying of insecticides (Coleman et al., 2006). However, the success of the insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor residual spraying programs are affected by the dual issues of parasites developing drug resistance and insecticide resistance in the vectors, and if they are not monitored directly, a significant increase in disease transmission can occur (Coleman et al., 2006). The resistance threatens the control system of the diseases as resistance evolves at a faster pace than newly developed antibiotics, drugs, and insecticides; therefore, sustainable resistance management is essential to effectively manage the vectors and vector-borne diseases.