Mosquito control programmes in seven urban sites in Costa Rica, Egypt, Israel, Kenya and Trinidad were compared. Site-specific urban and disease characteristics, organizational diagrams, and SWOT analysis tools were used to provide a descriptive assessment of each mosquito control programme. They also provided a comparison of the factors affecting the resulting reductions in mosquito populations.

The information for the SWOT analysis was collected from surveys, focus group discussions and personal communications. The SWOT analysis identified various issues affecting the efficiency and sustainability of mosquito control programmes. The main output of the study was the description and comparison of mosquito control programmes within the context of each study site’s biological, social, political, management and economic conditions.

The issues identified in the study ranged from a lack of intersectoral collaboration to operational issues of mosquito control efforts. A lack of sustainable funding for mosquito control was a common problem across all sites. Many unique problems were also identified, which included lack of mosquito surveillance, lack of law enforcement, and negative consequences of specific human behaviours.

Identifying common merits and shortcomings of mosquito control programmes was useful in identifying best practices for mosquito control operations, thus leading to better control of mosquito biting and mosquito-borne disease transmission.