'Efforts to improve water quality increasingly rely on structural stormwater best management practices (BMPs) to remove pollutants from urban runoff. These structures can unintentionally produce mosquitoes and may play a role in the spread of mosquito-borne diseases,' investigators in the United States report (see also Mosquito Control).
'A questionnaire was distributed to over 300 stormwater and mosquito control agencies in the United States to assess the prevalence of BMPs and associated mosquito production, identify current measures to control mosquitoes within BMPs, and elucidate the extent of collaboration between these agencies. Responses suggest that agencies often lack basic information relevant to minimizing mosquitoes in BMPs, such as the number of structures within an agency's jurisdiction and the frequency of their maintenance, and that greater interagency collaboration could improve control efforts. Approximately 40% of agencies reported regular collaboration to minimize mosquito production in BMPs: however, barriers to such collaborative work included confusion over roles and responsibilities and a lack of interest,' wrote J.E. Harbison and colleagues.
The researchers concluded: 'The rapid increase of BMPs in urban environments resulting from increasingly stringent water-quality regulations provides justification for increased collaboration between stormwater and mosquito control sectors of government to aid and strengthen public health efforts.'
Harbison and colleagues published their study in the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association (The Need For Collaboration Among Government Agencies To Reduce Mosquito Production In Mandated Stormwater Treatment Structures. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 2010;26(2):198-204).
For additional information, contact J.E. Harbison, California Dept. of Public Health, Center Infectious Disease, Vector Borne Diseases Sect, 2151 Convent Center Way, Suite 218B, Ontario, CA 91764, USA.
The publisher of the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association can be contacted at: American Mosquito Control Association, PO Box 234, Eatontown, NJ 07724-0234, USA.
Keywords: City:Ontario, State:CA, Country:United States, Communicable Disease Control, Insect Control, Mosquito Control, Pest Control, Public Health Practice
This article was prepared by Science Letter editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2010, Science Letter via NewsRx.com.
