Emerging pests and vector-borne diseases are a reality
In: Emerging pests and vector-borne diseases in EuropeSearch for other papers by Willem Takken in
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Historically, Europe has suffered pests and vector-borne diseases affecting man and domestic animals. Through advances in science and technology, measures were introduced that led to effective management and control, causing the eradication of several diseases (e.g. plague, typhus, malaria) or reduction of pests to levels where they no longer were harmful or damaging. In the last decades this situation has changed and a series of pests and diseases are resurging or emerging giving cause for serious concern, threatening both human and animal health. The reasons for this upsurge and emergence are being discussed, and actions are being proposed to reduce the incidence of diseases already present and to lower the risk of introduction of new ones. Suggestions for the control of pest organisms are being presented, using integrated control with emphasis on biological methods for insect control. Recommendations for the prevention of outbreaks of pests and vector-borne diseases associated with climate- and environmental change are proposed, including the establishment of early-warning systems and the development of pan-European contingency plans.