:: Comparing with LS ::

The Larval Survey (LS)

The Larval Survey consists of the inspection of houses by the health agent in order to search possible plant nurseries and, nowadays, it is the most used method to the Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquito's monitoring routine procedure. The configuration of this methodological process is dated from the 20”s, when Predial and Containers' indexes were developed. In 1953, Breteau index was developed nowadays considered one of the main indexes of the outbreak risk's prediction, in regarding to the dengue.

Foibles of the Larval Survey

Despite of its importance, however, we can see that the indexes obtained from the Larval Survey reveal little sensitiveness when the infestation is low – this fact exposes vector control programs and increases the risk of new outbreaks. Furthermore, the number of the health agents, the financial aids and the labor in labs increase, significantly, the costs for the production of those indexes.

During the nurseries' inspection, the health agent takes note of premature forms' presence (larvae/Pupas), and, in the positive reservoirs, he/she collects samples and conducts them to the reference laboratory for identification. After that, which occurs in about 10 days, the data are inserted into manual record cards, and, afterwards, they are typed on computer in order to summarize and elaborate reports. By this methodology, in each 100 houses, 10 are inspected, taking, at least, 60 days so that the field's agent does the larval inquiry related to the area of his/her responsibility.

Another relevant consideration is related to the existence of larvae in the ambient, which not necessarily reflects the real entomologic situation during that period, due to the possibility of larvae be the consequence of old ovipositions. That occurs because the eggs can stay at the ambient about 15 months and, when they get in touch with water, restart the embryonic activity. In this way, they, consequently, complete the cycle. In short, the attendance of the larvae doesn't signify that vector adult forms exist in that ambient.

The Intelligent Monitoring and the Larval Survey

The Intelligent Monitoring (M.I. Dengue) was developed for solving the foibles of the Larval Survey (LS)

The M.I. Dengue has demonstrated that it is more sensitive than the Larval Survey significantly, in various scientific experiments. Even with a 3 times smaller sample, the M.I. shows positivity, approximately, in 4 times more houses than the Larval Survey does, indicating a sensitivity 12 times larger (estimated).