Mosquito Control

by: Courtesy US EPA

Mosquitoes can be annoying and sometimes pose a serious risk to public health. In certain areas of the United States, mosquitoes can transmit diseases like West Nile Virus and equine encephalitis. To combat mosquitoes and the public health hazards they present, many federal agencies, states and localities have established mosquito control programs.

What can I do?

1. Empty and change the water in bird baths, fountains, wading pools, rain barrels, and potted plant trays at least once a week if not more often.
2. Keep swimming pools treated and circulating and rain gutters unclogged.
3. Make sure window and door screens are "bug tight."

Who is involved?

State and local government agencies play a critical role in protecting public health from mosquito-borne diseases.

• They provide information to the medical and environmental networks that first identify possible outbreaks.
• They manage mosquito control programs that carry out prevention, public education and vector population management.
• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) , works closely with state and local health departments and provides public information in several languages.
• They monitor the potential sources and outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases and provide advice and consultation on prevention and control.
• CDC develops national strategies to reduce the risk of disease transmission.
• EPA provides information and tools to federal, state, local agencies and the public.
• EPA encourages nonchemical mosquito prevention efforts.
• Outreach efforts educate users on the proper use of insect repellents and mosquitocides.

The Agency's rigorous pesticide review process is designed to ensure that registered mosquitocides used according to label directions and precautions can further reduce disease-carrying mosquito populations

The EPA ensures the safest possible use of pesticides by:

• evaluating and registering pesticides before they may be sold, distributed, or used in the United States.
• reassessing, and reregistering when appropriate, all older pesticides (those registered prior to 1984) to ensure that they meet current scientific standards.
• assessing potential human health and environmental effects associated with use of the product. The producer of the pesticide must provide data from tests done according to EPA guidelines. These tests determine whether a pesticide has the potential to cause adverse effects on humans, wildlife, fish, and plants, including endangered species and nontarget organisms. Other tests help to assess the risks of contaminating surface water or ground water from leaching, runoff, or spray drift.
• approving the pesticide for use in accordance with label directions, if the pesticide meets EPA requirements. However, no pesticide is 100 percent safe and care must be exercised in the use of any pesticide.
• serving as a source of information about pesticide and non-pesticide controls to the general public, news media, and the state and local agencies dealing with outbreaks of infectious diseases.

About the Author

Courtesy US EPA