Organic synthetic insecticides continue to be part of the arsenal for combating vector-borne diseases in Mexico. Larvicides are a fundamental part of the process in programs for mosquito control, temephos being one of the most widely used in Mexico. In the present study, we analyzed the frequency of temephos resistance in twenty-three Aedes aegypti populations using the discriminating concentration (DC) of 0.012 mg/L. We also tested 5× DC (0.6 mg/L) and 10× DC (0.12 mg/L) of temephos. The resistance distribution to temephos was interpolated to unsampled sites using the inverse distance weighting (IDW) method. The populations of Ae. aegypti showed a high frequency of resistance (1× DC) with mortality rates below 93% in 22 of the 23 populations analyzed. Moderate resistance intensity (5× DC) was found in 78% of the populations, and high intensity (10× DC) in 30%. Predicted mortality was below 60% in the populations of the Pacific Coast, along the Gulf of Mexico, and in the state of Coahuila in Northeastern Mexico in relation to 1× DC; the Pacific Coast and Northeast patterns hold for 5× and 10× DC. The results suggest the need for rotation of the larvicide to effectively control the larval populations of the vector in the country.

Emerging and re-emerging vector-borne infections are a global public health threat. In endemic regions, fever is the main reason for medical attention, and the etiological agent of such fever is not usually identified. In this study, non-specific febrile pathogens were molecularly characterized in serum samples from 253 patients suspected of arbovirus infection. The samples were collected in the southern border region of Mexico from April to June 2015, and February to March 2016. ZIKV, CHIKV, DENV, leptospirosis, and rickettsiosis were detected by qPCR and nested PCR to identify flavivirus and alphavirus genera. The results indicated that 71.93% of the samples were positive for CHIKV, 0.79% for ZIKV, and 0.39% for DENV, with the number positive for CHIKV increasing to 76.67% and those positive for ZIKV increasing to 15.41% under the nested PCR technique. Leptospira Kmetyi was identified for the first time in Mexico, with a prevalence of 3.16%. This is the first report of ZIKV in Mexico, as well the first detection of the virus in early 2015. In conclusion, the etiological agent of fever was determined in 94% of the analyzed samples.

Insecticide-based strategies have been central to vector control programs targeting diseases of human and veterinary importance for decades

Las enfermedades transmitidas por vectores (ETV) persisten como un problema nacional de salud pública. A fin de disminuir su impacto, existen políticas públicas dirigidas al manejo de estas infecciones. Las soluciones propuestas, así como su implementación, se estipulan dentro de documentos como la ley general de salud (LGS) y normas oficiales mexicanas (NOM). Pese a que la ejecución de las políticas públicas ha conducido a resultados favorables en contra de las ETV, existen nuevas pautas internacionales establecidas por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) que incrementarían la eficacia de las políticas actuales. Objetivo: Contrastar las acciones estipuladas en las políticas públicas mexicanas del 2000 a 2020 para el combate a las ETV contra las directrices internacionales actuales. Conclusiones: La mayoría de las actividades en contra de las ETV recaen dentro del control de vectores, mismo que al ser comparado con las directrices de la OMS exhibe áreas de oportunidad en la escala de aplicación, uso de insecticidas, participación comunitaria, investigación, entre otras. Bajo este escenario, las políticas públicas deben actualizarse para incluir nueva información propuesta por organismos internacionales.