Table 1.

Overview of the vector control methods currently used for the prevention and control of outbreaks of WNV infection

			Suggested use 3
Activities	Target environments	Products and equipment	Prevention	Outbreak control
Targeting the mosquito larvae 1
Environmental management and source reduction	artificial wetlands, hunting farms, lagoons, recreational, rice fields, irrigation canals, urban environments	Ground equipment, excavators, mowers, pumps	+++	Part of IVM programme
Chemical	Breeding sites as specified in the insecticide label	According to WHO guidelines and EU regulations:	++	Part of IVM programme
		S-Methoprene, Diflubenzuron, Pyriproxyfen, Triflumuron
Biological	artificial wetlands, lagoons, rice fields, irrigation canals, urban environments	Gambusia (where allowed), native fish species, Macrocyclops	++	Part of IVM programme
Microbial and others	wetlands, lagoons, rice fields, irrigation canals, urban environments	According to WHO guidelines and EU regulations	++	Part of IVM programme
		Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, Bacillus sphaericus, Spinosad
Community participation	inhabited areas	Insecticide formulations for domestic use	+	Part of IVM programme
Targeting the adult mosquitoes 2
Aerial adulticide treatments	Outbreak area	Aerial ULV	Not allowed	Not allowed (specific exemption in extraordinary cases only)
Ground adulticide treatments (ULV or LV)	Outdoors, outbreak area	According to WHO guidelines and EU regulations	Not suggested	++
Mass trapping	domestic use in inhabited areas	attractive traps selective for mosquito	-	-
Personal protection measures	any environment during mosquito activity peak in case of West Nile virus risk	mosquito screen over windows, space or topical repellents, protective clothes	+++	+++

¹The suggested use of vector control methods targeting the mosquito larvae refers to the impact on the vector population. The impact in reducing the WNV transmission is not well known; ²The suggested use of vector control methods targeting the adult mosquitoes refers to the impact on WNV transmission; ³+++ highly useful; ++ useful; + potentially useful in some circumstances; - currently no evidence of usefulness.

IVM: integrated Vector management; ULV: Ultra Low Volume.