Evolution of the Legal Vector Control Framework in Spain: 1945-2017. Proposals for the Future

Abstract

Vector control, being the relevant public health aspect it is, has been carried out in our country according to the health care needs there have arisen at each point in time. From 1945 to 2017 there have been at least three well-differentiated vector control phases. A first phase, from 1945 till the 1980s, when legislation was passed to tackle the presence of diseases such as malaria and the use of pesticides was excessive, particularly from the moment it was discovered DDT had insecticidal properties. The second ranged from halfway through the 1980s—right after Spain joined the EU—until the beginning of the 21st century. This phase was characterized by a certain vectorial tranquility and the transposition of European legislation to the Spanish legal framework based on the authorization of pesticides and biocides. The third phase extends up to the present day, when we are seeing, on the one hand, an emergence of different threats, such as arboviruses, due to the presence of tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) in our country, and, on the other, the influence of the WHO’s integrated plague control methodology. This methodology has permeated— judiciously—standards such as UNE 171210:2008 “Indoor environmental quality. Good practices in Disinfection, Desinsectization and Deratization Plans” or the more recent EN 16636 “Pest management services. Requirements and competences,” which are beginning to create a new way of addressing vector control.