WHO Vector Control Advisory Group meeting report: 28–30 March, 2022

WHO Vector Control Advisory Group meeting report: 28–30 March, 2022

The Vector Control Advisory Group (VCAG) of the World Health Organization (WHO) serves as an advisory body to WHO on new interventions for the control of vector-borne diseases. These interventions include novel tools, technologies and approaches. VCAG is jointly coordinated by the Vector Control and Insecticide Resistance Unit of the Global Malaria Programme (GMP/VCR), the Veterinary Public Health, Vector Control and the Environment Unit of the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD/VVE) and the WHO Prequalification Unit Vector Control Product Assessment Team within the Department of Regulation and Prequalification (RQP/PQT-VCP).

The specific functions of the advisory group are:

•To provide guidance to product developers, innovators and researchers on the generation of epidemiological data and study designs to enable assessment of the public health value of new vector control interventions;

•To assess the public health value of new vector control interventions submitted to WHO; and

•To provide advice to WHO, for submission to the Malaria Policy Advisory Group and the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Neglected Tropical Diseases, on the public health value of new interventions.

The 16th VCAG meeting was convened on 28–30 March 2022 virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This report details the proceedings and outcomes of the meeting. VCAG provided feedback and recommendations to applicants who had made submissions for the following interventions:

• Eave tubes;
• House screening;
• Gene drive strategies (Cas9/gRNA approaches to modify Anopheles populations); and
• Attractive targeted sugar baits (ATSBs).

The meeting was co-chaired by Dr Heather Ferguson and Dr Audrey Lenhart. Twelve of the 14 VCAG members were in attendance, along with two temporary advisors, the applicants (being product developers, innovators and researchers), and the WHO Secretariat.