Current status of mosquito control programs in North Carolina: the need for cost-effectiveness analysis.

Mosquito control in the U.S. is both technically specialized and labor intensive with mosquito control programs (MCPs) carrying out services at federal, state, and local levels. The scope of each MCP varies depending on the needs of the region. In the 1970s, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources formed the Public Health Pest Management (PHPM) section to play an active leadership role in training and support for local mosquito control programs across the state. PHPM was disbanded, however, in July 2011 due to state budget cuts. The extent to which recent budget shortfalls have impacted services provided by MCPs is largely unknown. Consequently, the primary objectives of the study described in this article were to 1) assess the current status of MCPs in North Carolina, 2) evaluate the extent to which the operational status of local MCPs affects public health, and 3) evaluate the impacts of losing the PHPM section in North Carolina.

Assessment of qualifications needed by environmental health graduates entering private-sector employment.

The goal of the study described here was to provide a snapshot of knowledge, skills, and abilities currently required by employers in the private sector of the environmental health and safety field, specifically for entry-level positions attainable by individuals recently earning a bachelor's degree in environmental health. Information was collected first through the screening of 115 entry-level job descriptions posted on a popular environmental health and safety Internet job-seeking site. Because of the predominance of industrial hygiene and safety job descriptions found, a second data source was created-an online opinion survey taken by 98 American Industrial Hygiene Association-registered consultants certified in industrial hygiene. Important results from both data sources indicated that employers preferred a four-year science degree for new hires.

Door to door survey and community participation to implement a new county mosquito control program in Wayne County, North Carolina, USA.

Community involvement in mosquito management programs provides more sustainable and effective organization and service. A door to door survey in Wayne County, NC carried out by student volunteers, resulted in 60 household responses. Residents had not previously experienced outreach from the county (88%), and 95% of them thought the student door to door survey was an effective form of outreach. One third of the residents thought mosquitoes were severe where they lived, but only 9% thought they had any containers in their yard that might breed mosquitoes. Only 15% of the residents were concerned about mosquito borne diseases. These responses provide evidence that outreach and education on mosquito control and diseases were necessary steps for future mosquito control community planning.

Pubic lice (Pthirus pubis): history, biology and treatment vs. knowledge and beliefs of US college students.

Pubic lice (Pthirus pubis) maintain a worldwide parasitic population infesting two to over 10 percent of human populations, continuing a presence that has been constant since early evidence 10,000 years ago. Outbreaks in the 1970s have been recorded, but incomplete records preclude description of a definitive population cycle. Current levels of infestation in a US college student population were investigated in this study. Knowledge and opinions of students were also recorded in an online survey administered to college students taking a basic health course at a mid-sized East Coast University. In a group of 817 students, 35 reported experience with pubic lice or other STD infection. Knowledge, beliefs, and treatment attitudes were examined for the 782 students who did not have experience with either pubic lice or STD infection. These students deemed antibiotics as a viable treatment for pubic lice infestation. They also indicated negative attitudes toward the use of pesticide crèmes, which are the most useful prescription. Symptoms and transmission myths in student answers are described.

Bedbug infestations in the news: a picture of an emerging public health problem in the United States.

Bedbug (Cimex lectularis) infestations have become a major complaint in all but three states in the United States. Increasing infestations have also been reported in Asia, Australia, Europe, and Canada. Newspaper articles often herald the onset of a new health issue for the public, and they can be used for epidemiological tracking of increasing populations of irritating and potentially serious vectoring pests. This news coverage model is useful in validating the typical spread of a new contagious entity, or in predicting the waves of public reaction to the spread of a new pest or health problem. The authors' analysis covers the years 2001 to 2006, showing the incidence of bedbug news coverage from the East Coast, the Midwest, the South, and the West in the United States. Rural and urban examples are included in a four-year time frame starting with news in the Northeast and ending with an attempt to eradicate the pest from the state of Hawaii.

Comparisons of mosquito populations before and after construction of a wetland for water quality improvement in Pitt County, North Carolina, and data-reliant vectorborne disease management.

Wetlands serve an important purpose in flood control and water quality, but constructed-wetland sites also provide habitats for mosquito breeding. Communities near constructed-wetland sites often raise a "mosquito" objection when constructed wetlands are proposed. Wildlife and wetland advocates can confuse the public by making unsubstantiated claims about natural predators eliminating or controlling mosquito problems in a constructed wetland. Management of constructed-wetland mosquito habitat, with adequate mosquito surveillance and data analysis, can help lead to a successful project and satisfied citizens. The cooperative project described in this paper, was conducted in the town of Simpson, North Carolina, and was designed to determine the mosquito population impact of wetland construction at Mill Branch Stream, a small tributary of the Tar River in Eastern North Carolina. In the authors' analysis of three years of mosquito surveillance data, month (time of year standing in for temperature and day length) was a significant factor in regression analysis for mosquito numbers, but rainfall was not. Numbers of mosquitoes were not found to be significantly higher after construction than before construction.