Medical Entomology in Asia

This book presents the latest findings in medical entomology in Japan and neighboring Asian countries. It provides an overview of the current issues of medically important arthropods in this region and also refers to the issues that are likely to become more serious in the near future. It helps us understand that addressing the arthropod issues is not enough in limited regions, but requires a coordinated response throughout these regions. 

Global warming and globalization are affecting both vector and vector-borne diseases, causing rapid changes in their distribution and ecology. From the perspective of global pest control, the book focuses not only on domestic pests in Japan but also on pests in neighboring Asian countries including the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, etc., which are geographically and economically close to Japan. Japan has experience of eradicating malaria and lymphatic filariasis, drastically reducing the number of cases of Japanese encephalitis patients, and succeeded in controlling flies in the metropolis of Tokyo. The know-how learned and created from these past successes should provide valuable information for other parts of Asia that are still struggling with pest infestation today. 

With the growing interest in these issues worldwide, this book provides essential information in medical entomology for researchers, including students and early career researchers. By integrating the latest findings in medical entomology with past successes and experiences in the field, the book is also a valuable reference for many professionals planning sustainable pest control. 

Kyoko Sawabe has been an Honorary member of National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Japan, since 2019. Her current interests include the biology of long-distance migration in the primary vector mosquitoes of Japanese encephalitis (JE), and the prediction of vector-borne disease (VBD) outbreaks based on the biology of arthropod vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks. She received the 60th Award of The Japan Society of Medical Entomology and Zoology in 2017. She has been a President of The Japanese Society of Pestology since 2022, a member of the editorial board of Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases (JJID) since 2012, and Open Entomology Journal (Associate editor) since 2010. 

Chizu Sanjoba is an Associate Professor, Ph. D., Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Science, The University of Tokyo. Her research has focused on epidemiology and vector ecology to develop sustainable control methods for vector-borne parasitic diseases. She has been a board member of the Japan Society of Medical Entomology and Zoology since 2018, a council member of the Japanese Society of Veterinary Parasitologists since 2019, and an international advisory board of the Turkish Journal of Parasitology since 2014. 

Yukiko Higa is a chief, Laboratory of Vector Taxonomy and Ecology, Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Japan. She became interested in mosquitoes after learning about malaria from her grandparents' generation. Her motto is "Say yes and challenge" and " Learn from the old, know the new. "  Japanese sake, and cocktail lover. She received the 17th Sasa Award from the Japan Society of Medical Entomology and Zoology in 2007.  She was editor-in-chief of The Japan Society of Medical Entomology and Zoology from 2021 to 2023 and an editorial board and council member of the Secretary of the Japan Society of Medical Entomology and Zoology since 2021.