The experience of controlling the dengue-transmission mosquito that was carried out in the city of Clorinda (Formosa province) during 5 years by Fundación Mundo Sano was recently legitimated in the scientific world when an article reporting the development of the programme was published in the American journal PLoS (Public Library of Science), one of the most prestigious in the world in the matter.

The work carried out, possibly as a result of the active commitment of the local community, achieved a significant reduction in infestation levels of disease-transmission mosquitoes that would ultimately diminish the occurrence of autochthonous cases. The programme was based on the systematic application of larvicides combined with the community's efforts to reduce the insects' sources of reproduction, and had promotion and health education components.

The control interventions had important impacts on larvae indices, achieved sustained community acceptance, played a key role in dengue outbreak prevention in the 2003-2006 period, and significantly limited the 2007 outbreak, which only manifested itself by imported cases.

The data resulting from studies carried out by researchers of the School of Exact and Natural Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires and Mundo Sano show that the reported incidence of dengue cases decreased from 10.4 per 100,000 in the year 2000 (by DEN-1) to 0 from 2001 to 2006, and later increased to 4.5 cases per 10,000 in 2007 (by DEN-3). In comparative terms, it must be pointed out that, in the nearest area to Paraguay, the dengue informed incidence in 2007 was 30.6 times higher than in Clorinda.

Interventions were mainly based on the focal treatment with larvicides of all potential mosquito reservoirs every four months (14 cycles), combined with efforts aimed at reducing and limiting their likely sources of reproduction and spraying with insecticides during emergency operations. The programme included 120,000 searches for mosquito breeding places and 37,000 applications of larvicides.

This scientific paper can be consulted at http://www.plosntds.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0000427 in the PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases site.

This experience -developed clearly prior to the epidemic dengue outbreak taking place in several regions in Argentina this current year- constitutes a valuable contribution, worth being taken into account, among the different prevention actions that both the State at its different levels, and the community in general can deploy so as to avoid the spreading of this disease.

Clorinda, which was the most affected city in Formosa, during the 2000 dengue outbreak, is located in one of the riskiest areas for potential dengue transmission in Argentina. In collaboration with the local municipality and other health and research institutions, Mundo Sano launched, in 2002, a control programme for the whole city, aimed at "reducing the risk of occurrence of autochthonous dengue cases in Clorinda and its neighbouring areas, by means of the application of strategies aimed at reducing the profuse Aedes aegypti population"