Public Acceptance of and Willingness to Pay for Mosquito Control, Texas, USA

Retrospective Assessment of Preparedness for Mosquito Control Post-Hurricane Florence in North Carolina

OBJECTIVES

Ideally, mosquito control programs (MCPs) use surveillance to target control measures to potentially dangerous mosquito populations. In North Carolina (NC), where there is limited financial support for mosquito control, communities may suffer from mosquito-related issues post-hurricane due to lack of existing MCPs. Here, study objectives were to (1) investigate the emergency response of a subset of NC counties post-Hurricane Florence and (2) develop guidelines and policy recommendations to assist MCPs in post-hurricane mosquito control response.

METHODS

A survey was administered to a subset of eastern NC counties (an area previously impacted by hurricanes) with various levels of MCPs (from none to well-developed).

RESULTS

All respondents indicated that having Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) training would be helpful in developing a post-hurricane emergency response plan for mosquito control. There was concern related to a lack of knowledge of emergency control methods (eg, aerial/ground, adulticiding/larviciding) post-hurricane. MCP structure (eg, infrastructure, resources, operational plans/policies) could facilitate response activities and help ensure necessary emergency financial support from agencies such as FEMA.

CONCLUSIONS

Mosquito control post-hurricane protects public health. Public health and other agencies can be networking resources for MCPs. Policy recommendations include implementation of routine FEMA assistance training workshops to improve an understanding of processes involved in assistance and reimbursement.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices for tick bite prevention and tick control among residents of Long Island, New York, USA

In the United States, tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are a major public health concern and a source of significant morbidity. To reduce tick-borne disease incidence, understanding factors associated with increased risk in humans for tick bites is necessary. These risk factors can include TBD knowledge, attitudes about prevention and care, and associated practices of individuals and their communities, including paying for preventive services. Our study focused on Long Island, New York, a region with high endemicity of ticks and TBDs. The purpose of our study was to identify gaps in the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding TBDs in residents of this region to inform priorities for TBD interventions. To this end, we performed a knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) survey and collected 803 responses from Long Island residents. Our survey results demonstrated that Long Island residents had a low to moderate level of knowledge regarding ticks and TBDs. Still, residents expressed concern regarding TBDs, with increased levels of concern associated with increased likelihood of paying for tick control and for practicing tick bite prevention strategies. Individuals with pets were more likely to practice these tick bite prevention strategies. Residents with more frequent exposure to ticks, with a history of TBD in their household, and with higher general concern over ticks were also more likely to pay for tick control services. These findings highlight gaps in resident knowledge, differences in attitudes towards tick preventative behavior, and potential factors affecting motivation towards implementing tick control measures, which can inform future public health messaging regarding tick bite prevention.

The unreachable doorbells of South Texas: community engagement in colonias on the US-Mexico border for mosquito control

Mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit continue to place millions of people at risk of infection around the world. Novel methods of vector control are being developed to provide public health officials with the necessary tools to prevent disease transmission and reduce local mosquito populations. However, these methods will require public acceptance for a sustainable approach and evaluations at local settings. We present our efforts in community engagement carried out in colonias of the Lower Rio Grande Valley in south Texas for mosquito surveillance, control, and ecological projects. Along the US-Mexico border the term colonia refers to impoverished communities that are usually inhabited by families of Hispanic heritage. The different engagements were carried out from September 2016 to February 2019; during this time, we had three distinct phases for community engagement. In Phase 1 we show the initial approach to the colonias in which we assessed security and willingness to participate; in Phase 2 we carried out the first recruitment procedure involving community meetings and house-to-house recruitment; and in Phase 3 we conducted a modified recruitment procedure based on community members' input. Our findings show that incorporating community members in the development of communication materials and following their suggestions for engagement allowed us to generate culturally sensitive recruitment materials and to better understand the social relationships and power dynamics within these communities. We were able to effectively reach a larger portion of the community and decrease the dropout rate of participants. Progress gained with building trust in the communities allowed us to convey participant risks and benefits of collaborating with our research projects. Community engagement should be viewed as a key component of any local vector control program as well as for any scientific research project related to vector control. Even in the face of budgetary constraints, small efforts in community engagement go a long way.