Oh! What a Year it has been in Mosquito Management! What did we Learn?
2019 was a very unusual year for mosquito management and mosquito-transmitted in the United States. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention reported the information below as of the first week of December.
2019 Disease prevalence
For the past two years, there have been no locally transmitted cases of Zika virus reported in the US. The yearly average since 1999 has been about 2,500 cases. Conversely, we had a frightening year with Eastern equine encephalitis. Normally, the US averages about 7 cases per year but in 2019, there were 37 cases and 15 deaths. Cases occurred in 9 states, with Massachusetts leading the way with 12.
Also, there were 14 locally acquired cases of dengue; 12 of these in Florida, 1 in North Carolina, and 1 questionable case in the District of Columbia. The local cases in Florida are not surprising, as a whopping 32% (321) of the travel-related cases occurred there!
So, what can we learn from this – 3 lessons learned from mosquito Season 2019
- The threat from mosquito-transmitted diseases in the United States is very real.
- The threat varies each year geographically as well as by disease and by type of mosquito.
- Diseases that have not occurred in an area for several years can suddenly reappear, bringing significant morbidity and mortality.
Remain vigilant, especially if you are traveling to warmer climates (either within or outside the United States) over the holiday season and beyond.
Captain Stan Cope (aka the Mosquito Man) is our Vice President of Technical Services. Learn more about Stan here: https://catchmaster.com/introducing-captain-stan-the-mosquito-man/
Mosquito Management – Additional Resources
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Finally, learn more about mosquitoes from the NPMA here: https://www.pestworld.org/pest-guide/mosquitoes/