Operational manual on larval source management: control of Anopheles and Aedes mosquito vectors

Overview

This operational manual provides practical guidance for the establishment, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of larval source management (LSM) programmes targeting Anopheles and Aedes mosquito vectors. Updated from earlier WHO guidance focused on malaria vectors, the manual expands the scope of LSM to include Aedes mosquitoes and related arboviral diseases, reflecting current WHO recommendations, integrated vector management principles and evolving operational needs in both rural and urban settings. It outlines the biological and public health rationale for LSM, describes the main intervention categories—including container and waste management, environmental modification and manipulation, larviciding and biological control—and discusses their applicability within different epidemiological and ecological contexts.

The manual supports programme managers and implementing partners responsible for vector-borne disease control by providing guidance on programme organization, planning, baseline assessment, intervention selection, implementation strategies, community engagement, and monitoring and evaluation. It emphasizes the importance of surveillance, local adaptation, intersectoral collaboration, community participation and evidence-based decision-making. The document also reviews operational considerations, potential challenges, emerging technologies and future opportunities to strengthen mosquito control efforts aimed at reducing transmission of malaria and Aedes-borne diseases.