Pest Management Professional, March 2014

2014MOSQUITOMANAGEMENTUPDATE Invasive species Steve Mulligan district manager of the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District in Selma Calif asked attendees to answer questions about invasive species r BO XF EFWFMPQ SFTQPOTF QMBOT r 8IBU BSF UIF CFTU TVSWFJMMBODF UPPMT XF OFFE r PX DBO XF HFU JOGPSNBUJPO UP UIPTF XIP OFFE JU r 8IBU BSF UIF CFTU TUSBUFHJFT UP DPNCBU UIFTF CMPPE TVDLJOH QFTUT In the mosquito and vector control world organizations need to parse their operating budgets so 25 to 30 percent is available for emerging vectors Mulligan said That can be difficult when these public entities already have tight budgets and other financial pressures To help make response plans to common problems happen one attendee suggested it would be good to have a database of where certain problems exist That way when an invasive species appears the proper resources can be identified and those whove been through a problem can be a resource for another area facing the same problem 8JUI UPOHVF QBSUJBMMZ JO DIFFL BOPUIFS 1 suggested the creation of a swat team an emergency group that responds to new outbreaks Everyone agreed its essential to share resources especially maps that indicate outbreaks 1T OFFE BT NVDI IFMQ BT UIFZ DBO HFU 5IF QSPCMFN with many of the exotic diseases invasive species bring 8FTU JMF WJSVT FOHVF GFWFS ZFMMPX GFWFS FUD JT many physicians dont recognize the symptoms Theyre not trained to diagnose or identify exotic diseases information that might help stem outbreaks Finally one attendee suggested that when invasive species are found an information packet should be sent to instruct people in the danger zone about what to do Exotic diseases and viruses 8IFO FYPUJD TQFDJFT BQQFBS UIFZ TPNFUJNFT CSJOH FYPUJD diseases with them Many Americans have heard of 8FTU JMF WJSVT 8 7 GFXFS QFSIBQT BSF GBNJMJBS XJUI Dengue fever But other illnesses could be on the horizon including Chikungunya Japanese encephalitis and Rift 7BMMFZ GFWFS BTDJ FODPVSBHFE BUUFOEFF GFFECBDL BCPVU XIFUIFS UIF industry has adequate tools to monitor and control the mosquitoes that bring disease Receiving a response in UIF OFHBUJWF IF GPMMPXFE VQ XJUI i8IBU T MBDLJOH u BOE i8IBU BEEJUJPOBM UPPMT BSF OFFEFE u Its a different issue than simply eliminating the pests PS BT POF BUUFOEFF QVU JU i8F DBO LJMM UIF DSBQ PVU PG NPTRVJUPFT u Rather in all sorts of areas the lines of communications are broken one participant said Resources need to be provided to support communication For example doctors when they encounter a disease such as Dengue fever treat the symptoms Theres no requirement to report it to the CDC One attendee SFMBUFE IPX JO FZ 8FTU MB BO JOWBTJPO XBT TXFQU under the rug because the local officials didnt want it to affect tourism negatively The tools to detect new diseases are adequate one attendee argued but more training for doctors is necessary and communication is key Other recommendations included 1 4FOE QSPCFT PS QSJNFST UP IJHI SJTL BSFBT TP they can test for those diseases 2 Curtail the loss of mosquito abatement districts 3 Emphasize the cost of treatment to the public 1PJOU PVU IPX JU T GBS NPSF FYQFOTJWF UP QBZ UIF DPTU of treating those infected with these diseases than it would be to fund preventive measures PMP Dan Jacobs Contributor Issues of the Day Continued from page 7 MM10 March 2014 Pest Management Professional www mypmp net