Effectiveness of the Aedes aegypti Mosquito Elimination Plan in Beigang Township, Yunlin County, 2024

Po-Chih Liao¹, Chin-Hsien Wang^1*, Ching-Ying Chen¹, Hsiu-Ling Kuo³, Yu-Chin Hsieh², Chun-Mei Tseng²

2026 Vol.42 No.14

Correspondence Author： Chin-Hsien Wang^1*

Abstract：

In response to the potential shift in the distribution of disease-carrying mosquitoes caused by climate change, the Centers for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Welfare, assisted the Yunlin County Government in planning and implementing the "Yunlin County Beigang Township Aedes aegypti Elimination Program." The program strengthened dengue vector control by removing breeding sites, training community volunteers, mobilizing local communities, and conducting public education campaigns to enhance the clearance of indoor and outdoor water-holding containers and dengue vector mosquitoes. Through a systematic tracking, monitoring and evaluation mechanism, the program also increased community response capacity and promoted sustained breeding site removal. After implementation, the environment in most communities improved significantly, with the Breteau index dropping below 1, and the short-term goal of no further detection of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes was achieved. These interventions are expected to enhance knowledge of dengue fever prevention and control across the public and private sectors and local communities, ensuring that routine preventive actions are implemented. In the long term, the program aims to enable prevention capacity to take root, and mitigate the increased risk of dengue fever transmission associated with changes in mosquito vector distribution.

Keywords：Dengue fever, Beigang Township, Aedes aegypti, Population colonization, Breeding site elimination