High resurgence of dengue vector populations after space spraying in an endemic urban area of Thailand: A cluster randomized controlled trial

Objective: To examine the resurgence rate, house density index (HDI) and parous rate of the Aedes aegypti vector after space spraying carried out by the routine spraying team, and compare with the rates after standard indoor ultra low volume (SID-ULV) spraying carried out by the trained research spraying team. Methods: Between March and September 2014, a cluster randomized controlled trial including 12 clusters (6 regular ULV, 6 SID-ULV) with totally 4341 households was conducted, and around 20–31 houses in each cluster were selected for assessment. The parous rate and HDI of collected mosquitoes 2 days before and 1, 2 and 6 days after spraying were obtained and compared. Results: The HDI dropped significantly from the baseline 1 and 2 days after spraying to a non-zero value in the SID-ULV treated locations but not in the regular ULV group locations. However, by 6 days after spraying, the HDI of both groups had returned to the base value measured 2 days before spraying. There were no statistically significant differences in the parous rate between groups. Conclusions: SID-ULV is more effective in reducing Aedes aegypti populations. However, rapid resurgence of dengue vector after spraying in urban areas was observed in both groups.