Aren’t vaccines going to solve the problems of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue?

Vaccines are important tools against many infectious diseases. Several potential dengue vaccines are being studied and one has been recommended for use under limited circumstances. Likewise, research on malaria vaccines has been ongoing for decades and one vaccine recently received WHO recommendation for children living in regions of high disease transmission, where it has demonstrated a partial reduction in severe disease.

Malaria and dengue have proven to be very challenging diseases to control. There is little doubt that successful control and/or elimination will require multiple different tools. Vector control is expected to remain important with or without available vaccines. WHO has taken the position that new tools are urgently needed for vector-borne diseases, and that the potential contribution of genetically modified-mosquitoes should continue to be explored.

For more information:

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/vector-borne-diseases
https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/prevention/dengue-vaccine.html
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/dengue-vaccines-who-position-paper-september-2018
https://www.who.int/news/item/06-10-2021-who-recommends-groundbreaking-malaria-vaccine-for-children-at-risk
https://www.who.int/news/item/14-10-2020-who-takes-a-position-on-genetically-modified-mosquitoes
https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(19)31139-0.pdf