Bioeconomic management of invasive vector-borne diseases

Invasive insects, arthropods, and other invertebrates are of concern due to the role some play in introducing and transmitting pathogens via a pathogen–vector relationship. Indeed, vector-borne diseases represent a significant portion of emerging diseases. We compare and contrast three strategic approaches to managing a vector-borne pathogen: conventional strategies based on disease ecology without regard to economic tradeoffs and cost-effective strategies based on a bioeconomic framework. Conventional strategies entail managing the vector population below a threshold value based on R ₀—the basic reproductive ratio of the pathogen, which measures a pathogen’s ability to invade uninfected systems. This does not account for post-infection dynamics, nor does it balance ecological and economic tradeoffs. Thresholds take on a more profound role under a bioeconomic paradigm: rather than unilaterally determining vector control choices, thresholds inform control choices and are influenced by them. Simulation results show cost-effective strategies can lower overall program costs and may be less sensitive to parameter estimation.