VMPL
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], May 1: A national technical conclave on advances in urban pest management and vector control concluded in Ahmedabad on 28 April 2026, bringing together senior public health leaders, government officials, armed forces medical specialists, and scientific institutions for two days of focused scientific exchange. The conclave addressed the growing burden of dengue, malaria, and chikungunya in India's rapidly expanding cities, and the need for systematic, evidence-based, integrated strategies to manage them effectively.
Organised by the Indian Society for Malaria and Other Communicable Diseases (ISMOCD) in collaboration with Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and supported by Envu India, the conclave drew participants from national and state public health programmes, the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune, academic institutions, and international scientific contributors. Sessions covered the epidemiology of dengue, malaria, and chikungunya in Ahmedabad's urban setting; advances in surveillance, including ovitrap-based monitoring with AI-assisted analysis; the WHO-aligned Integrated Vector Management framework; the Urban Malaria Scheme and National Urban Health Mission; preparedness for vector-borne disease control during mass-gathering events; and some innovations in public health insecticides. Envu contributed an international perspective on integrated urban vector management, drawing on experience from the iDEM (Integrated Dengue Epidemiology and Management) programme in Malaysia.
Envu India's support for this conclave is grounded in a conviction the company holds about the significant opportunity to advance mosquito control in Indian cities. Research by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), India, found that the standard municipal thermal fogging mixture is 95 per cent diesel and 5 per cent insecticide, with Delhi alone estimated to consume 4.5 lakh litres of diesel in a single fogging season, comparable to the daily fuel use of over 2,000 cars. The WHO's guidance on Integrated Vector Management recommends going further: addressing larvae and interrupting the breeding cycle for sustained, measurable impact, rather than relying on adult mosquito knockdown alone. Envu believes Indian cities are ready for that more complete approach, and offers water-based, WHO Pre-Qualified vector control formulation combined with safer larvicidal solutions that make it possible. Envu welcomes engagement from public health authorities, urban local bodies, and state vector control programmes on what that transition could mean in practice for their city or district.
"Vector-borne diseases, caused by viruses, bacteria, and parasites, account for over 17% of infectious diseases globally, all transmitted through vectors. India has made remarkable progress in controlling these diseases. Malaria deaths have declined from eight lakh annually at independence to just 83 in 2023. Kala-azar cases dropped from 9,241 in 2014 to 449 in 2024, nearing elimination, while over 100 districts have eliminated lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem. Dengue mortality has also reduced significantly. These achievements reflect India's sustained commitment to disease control," said Padma Shri Prof. Dr. Aditya Prasad Dash, former Vice Chancellor, Central University of Tamil Nadu, and former WHO Adviser.
He added, "India aims to eliminate malaria, lymphatic filariasis, and kala-azar by 2030. Achieving this, especially in urban areas, requires stronger collaboration among scientific institutions, government bodies, and municipal agencies. Growing partnerships between academia, industry, and research organisations in innovation, technology transfer, and policy are key to this effort. Strengthening such collaborations will be critical for achieving India's Sustainable Development Goals."
Dr. Bhavin Solanki, Medical Officer of Health, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, said, "Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has always believed that public health outcomes improve when institutions invest in the right science, the right partnerships, and the right people. Our vector control teams are trained, equipped, and committed to adopting approaches that deliver real, measurable results for the communities we serve. The scientific inputs and global
experience that Envu brought to this conclave added meaningful depth to the discussions and helped broaden our perspective on integrated vector management. Conclaves like this one, which bring together national scientific expertise, government experience, and industry knowledge, considerably strengthen that work. We look forward to continuing to build on the collaborations that have emerged from this platform."
M. Arun Kumar, Managing Director, Envu India, said, "India's cities are at the centre of the vector-borne disease risks, and this conclave brought the right people into this conversation at exactly the right time. As a company, our commitment goes beyond supporting events like this. We believe the way mosquito control is practised in Indian cities today has room to advance, and Envu is here for the long term, alongside India's public health institutions, to help make that happen."
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