Abate distribution and dengue control in rural Cambodia

Sustainable public health and community collaboration and partnerships are essential for the effective elimination of vector breeding sites to prevent dengue fever. A prerequisite is that community members appreciate the importance of the infection, understand its transmission and preventive activities, and are able to translate such knowledge to action. In this paper, we draw on an ethnographic study of two villages in the eastern province of Kampong Cham, using data collected from qualitative research methods and entomological surveys to describe community knowledge of the vector, practices related to the reduction of breeding sources, and the effectiveness of temephos to control larvae. During the study period, temephos (distributed as Abate) was applied in water containers only in the rainy season, although these containers were also positive with larvae in the dry season. Discarded containers, ignored in terms of control activities, had twice the number of larvae as water storage containers. The continued reliance on Abate creates financial and technical problems, while its inappropriate distribution raises the possibility of larvicide resistance. Based on research findings, we argue that control strategies emphasizing the use of Abate should be reconsidered.