Mosquito Hunter: An Intern's Perspective in a Public Health Department Mosquito Surveillance Program
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Date
1-16-2018
Abstract
As a Special Services Intern at Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County (PHDMC), I gained first-hand experience as to the daily functioning of a Public Health Department and had the opportunity to work on a special project, the Mosquito Surveillance Program. PHDMC employs professionals in a variety of disciplines, all working towards the goal of protecting the health of the public. One way they accomplish this is through various inspections including restaurant, wellhead, and landfill. Another method to protect the public health is through the capture and testing of mosquitoes, with the goal of preventing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile Virus, La Crosse Virus, and, more recently, Ziko. There were three types of traps used (Gravid, BG Sentinel, and Gravid Aedes) that were placed doily over a period of approximately four months, resulting in the testing (by the Ohio Department of Health ODH) of over 432, 120 mosquitoes for the 2017 season. Many factors play a role in this number including the effectiveness of a trap location, amount of precipitation, and temperature. When comparing available data from the 2016 season to the 2017 season, it was found that the 2017 season had increased average precipitation, higher numbers of mosquitoes tested, and higher incidences of mosquito-borne diseases.
Repository Citation
Walterbusch, M. (2018). Mosquito Hunter: An Intern's Perspective in a Public Health Department Mosquito Surveillance Program. Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.
