Background Lee County Mosquito Control District(LCMCD)is an independent taxing district that works to protect human health and improve quality of life in Lee County,Florida,USA.With local dengue transmission in southe...Background Lee County Mosquito Control District(LCMCD)is an independent taxing district that works to protect human health and improve quality of life in Lee County,Florida,USA.With local dengue transmission in southern Florida,LCMCD prioritized the control of Aedes aegypti.Due to the cryptic larval habitats of Ae.aegypti and insecticide resistance,effective control using conventional methods is difficult.Thus,the sterile insect technique(SIT)program,using X-ray irradiated male mosquitoes,was created to target Ae.aegypti.The goal of this program was to suppress Ae.aegypti through establishing a robust SIT program and performing a pilot study in the field to assess the impacts of SIT releases.Main text The SIT program at LCMCD released sterile male Ae.aegypti from 2020 to 2022 in Captiva Island,Florida.The SIT program works within a larger Integrated Mosquito Management(IMM)framework and is not a standalone tool.The SIT program consists of nine employees,one of which is dedicated to quality assurance.Quality assurance assessments are performed routinely and periodically.Due to widespread destruction throughout Captiva and Sanibel Islands from Hurricane Ian in September 2022,the SIT pilot in Captiva Island was concluded and moved to Fort Myers,Florida.During the pilot study on Captiva Island,various lessons were learned and this knowledge has been applied to efforts in Fort Myers.Conclusions LCMCD has established a successful SIT program to suppress populations of Ae.aegypti.Through connections with the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA)and the University of Florida,LCMCD received guidance from experts in the field to help ensure the program’s success.Stable funding through taxes levied specifically for mosquito control provided essential consistency,allowing the program to grow and evolve.Consistent trapping routines provided immense amounts of entomological data.Thoughtful and intentional community engagement was essential in ensuring acceptance of the SIT program in Lee County.Following the phased conditional approach suggested by IAEA,LCMCD has built an effective and resilient SIT program.The integration of the SIT as a tool of an area-wide mosquito control program is a feature that distinguishes LCMCD’s SIT program from others.展开更多
Background Vector-borne diseases cause morbidity and mortality globally.However,some areas are more impacted than others,especially with climate change.Controlling vectors remains the primary means to prevent these di...Background Vector-borne diseases cause morbidity and mortality globally.However,some areas are more impacted than others,especially with climate change.Controlling vectors remains the primary means to prevent these diseases,but new,more effective tools are needed.The World Health Organization(WHO)prioritized evaluating novel control methods,such as sterile insect technique(SIT)for control ofAedes-borne diseases.In response,a multiagency partnership between the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC),the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases(TDR),WHO,and the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA)supported the operational implementation and evaluation of SIT againstAedes aegypti and arboviral diseases in the Pacific through a consortium of regional partners(PAC-SIT Consortium).Main text A workshop was held from 2 to 6 May 2023,during which PAC-SIT country participants,researchers,and stakeholders in SIT,scientific advisory committee members,and organizational partners came together to review the principles and components of SIT,share experiences,visit field sites and the SIT facility,and officially launch the PAC-SIT project.Working in groups focused on entomology,epidemiology,and community engagement,participants addressed challenges,priorities,and needs for SIT implementation.Conclusions The PAC-SIT workshop brought together researchers and stakeholders engaged in evaluating SIT for arboviral diseases in the Pacific region and globally.This training workshop highlighted that many countries are actively engaged in building operational capacities and phased testing of SIT.The workshop identified a key need for robust larger-scale studies tied with epidemiological endpoints to provide evidence for the scalability and impact on mosquito-borne diseases.展开更多
基金financial support through a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Florida Department of Health Hurricane Cooperative-Agreement grant(CFDA No.93.323)from 2019 to 2020.
文摘Background Lee County Mosquito Control District(LCMCD)is an independent taxing district that works to protect human health and improve quality of life in Lee County,Florida,USA.With local dengue transmission in southern Florida,LCMCD prioritized the control of Aedes aegypti.Due to the cryptic larval habitats of Ae.aegypti and insecticide resistance,effective control using conventional methods is difficult.Thus,the sterile insect technique(SIT)program,using X-ray irradiated male mosquitoes,was created to target Ae.aegypti.The goal of this program was to suppress Ae.aegypti through establishing a robust SIT program and performing a pilot study in the field to assess the impacts of SIT releases.Main text The SIT program at LCMCD released sterile male Ae.aegypti from 2020 to 2022 in Captiva Island,Florida.The SIT program works within a larger Integrated Mosquito Management(IMM)framework and is not a standalone tool.The SIT program consists of nine employees,one of which is dedicated to quality assurance.Quality assurance assessments are performed routinely and periodically.Due to widespread destruction throughout Captiva and Sanibel Islands from Hurricane Ian in September 2022,the SIT pilot in Captiva Island was concluded and moved to Fort Myers,Florida.During the pilot study on Captiva Island,various lessons were learned and this knowledge has been applied to efforts in Fort Myers.Conclusions LCMCD has established a successful SIT program to suppress populations of Ae.aegypti.Through connections with the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA)and the University of Florida,LCMCD received guidance from experts in the field to help ensure the program’s success.Stable funding through taxes levied specifically for mosquito control provided essential consistency,allowing the program to grow and evolve.Consistent trapping routines provided immense amounts of entomological data.Thoughtful and intentional community engagement was essential in ensuring acceptance of the SIT program in Lee County.Following the phased conditional approach suggested by IAEA,LCMCD has built an effective and resilient SIT program.The integration of the SIT as a tool of an area-wide mosquito control program is a feature that distinguishes LCMCD’s SIT program from others.
基金Funding for the meeting was provided by TDR,IAEA and the CDC.Laboratory resources for the workshop were provided by the Institut Louis Malardé.
文摘Background Vector-borne diseases cause morbidity and mortality globally.However,some areas are more impacted than others,especially with climate change.Controlling vectors remains the primary means to prevent these diseases,but new,more effective tools are needed.The World Health Organization(WHO)prioritized evaluating novel control methods,such as sterile insect technique(SIT)for control ofAedes-borne diseases.In response,a multiagency partnership between the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC),the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases(TDR),WHO,and the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA)supported the operational implementation and evaluation of SIT againstAedes aegypti and arboviral diseases in the Pacific through a consortium of regional partners(PAC-SIT Consortium).Main text A workshop was held from 2 to 6 May 2023,during which PAC-SIT country participants,researchers,and stakeholders in SIT,scientific advisory committee members,and organizational partners came together to review the principles and components of SIT,share experiences,visit field sites and the SIT facility,and officially launch the PAC-SIT project.Working in groups focused on entomology,epidemiology,and community engagement,participants addressed challenges,priorities,and needs for SIT implementation.Conclusions The PAC-SIT workshop brought together researchers and stakeholders engaged in evaluating SIT for arboviral diseases in the Pacific region and globally.This training workshop highlighted that many countries are actively engaged in building operational capacities and phased testing of SIT.The workshop identified a key need for robust larger-scale studies tied with epidemiological endpoints to provide evidence for the scalability and impact on mosquito-borne diseases.
