Shortened URL (report) - bit.ly/2020VAreport
Shortened URL (infographic) - bit.ly/2020VAInfographic
Primary hashtag: #NationalVCAssessment
Secondary hashtags: #vectorcontrol, #tickcontrol, #mosquitocontrol, #LymeDisease, #EH4ALL, #EnvironmentalHealth, #OptOutside
Hashtags related to observances: #LymeDiseaseAwarenessMonth (May 2022), #MosquitoWeek (June 19-25), #WorldMosquitoDay (August 20)
Primary audience: Local health departments, mosquito control districts
Secondary audience: State, tribal, and territorial health departments
NACCHO account handles to tag in social posts: @NACCHOalerts (Twitter), @NACCHOHQ (Facebook/LinkedIn), @nacchoalerts (Instagram)
CDC accounts to consider tagging in posts: @CDCenvironment, @cdcgov, @CDC_NCEZID
For questions about the toolkit, contact Anu Varma at avarma@naccho.org.
Social media posts
Launch Day (May 18)
Good news from [tag NACCHO]: reported mosquito control and surveillance capacity in the U.S. tripled from 2017 to 2020! A new report reveals state of local vector control capacity in the 🇺🇸. Go to bit.ly/2020VAreport to learn more. #NationalVCAssessment
Post #2
New report from [tag NACCHO] provides key insight from a comprehensive tick assessment held at the local level in 2020! Go to bit.ly/2020VAreport to learn more. #NationalVCAssessment
Lyme Disease Awareness Month (May)
#Lymedisease accounts for 80% of all tickborne diseases reported by states and DC annually acc. to @cdcmmwr, but only one in five local vector programs nationwide were engaged in tick surveillance as of 2020. Go to [tag NACCHO] bit.ly/2020VAreport to learn more. #NationalVCAssessment
National Mosquito Control Awareness Week (June 19-25)
Post #1
[Tag NACCHO] #NationalVCAssessment from 2020 finds that programs serving larger populations (i.e., more than 500K👨‍👩‍👧‍👧) were more likely to be fully capable in mosquito surveillance and control capacity compared to those serving smaller populations. Go to bit.ly/2020VAreport to learn more.
Post #2
Across the 2017 and 2020 #NationalVCAssessment by [tag NACCHO], Mosquito Control Districts (special districts dedicated to mosquito control activity) continued to outperform local health departments in 🦟surveillance and control capacity. Go to bit.ly/2020VAreport to learn more.
*New*
Posts on NACCHO's 2020 Vector Assessment Infographic
Vector-borne diseases pose a rising risk to public health. Check out [tag NACCHO]’s new infographic for sustainable improvements our local #vectorcontrol programs need. bit.ly/2020VAInfographic #NationalVCAssessment
Mosquito-borne pathogens are a threat to #publichealth. Local vector control programs are our frontlines of defense in preventing diseases caused by 🦟. Learn more about local vector control program strategies to improve prevention and control capacity at [tag NACCHO]'s bit.ly/2020VAInfographic. #NationalVCAssessment
Did you know that an average of 1,300 people are being treated for #LymeDisease everyday? Read up on the best methods of improving local vector control programs’ chances of decreasing the spread of tickborne diseases at [tag NACCHO]'s bit.ly/2020VAInfographic. #NationalVCAssessment
Posts targeted at general audience
Post #1
Right now, your local health dept is working harder than ever to protect you from diseases carried by mosquitoes & ticks. Learn how they are making your area “vector ready” & show YOUR support by sharing this report - bit.ly/2020VAreport - with them! #NationalVCAssessment
Post #2
[Longer post for Facebook or Instagram] As you #optoutside this summer, take a moment to think about how your local jurisdiction is working to protect YOU from mosquitoes and ticks. Did you know, for instance, that THREE times as many local-level programs became fully capable by 2020 to control and monitor 🦟 in their area compared to 2017? Share this report with your local city or county today! bit.ly/2020VAreport #NationalVCAssessment
For Instagram posts, consider adding these additional hashtags at the end of the post: #vectorcontrol, #tickcontrol, #mosquitocontrol, #LymeDiseaseAwarenessMonth, #MosquitoWeek, #LymeDisease, #localhealthdepartments, #publichealthmatters, #EH4ALL, #EnvironmentalHealth, #OptOutside, #StaySafe
Newsletter blurb/Short Summary
Title: New Report Reveals State of Local Vector Control Capacity in the U.S.
Released by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a new report detailing findings from a 2020 National Vector Control Assessment reveals key insight into local mosquito and tick control capacity between 2017 and 2020. While local vector programs reported marked improvement in mosquito control and surveillance capacity by 2020, only one in five programs that responded were engaged in tick surveillance, with an even lower proportion of programs reporting tick control activities. The 2020 assessment is a comprehensive analysis of tick control and surveillance capacity at the local level, providing a baseline measure to help inform future interventions in the field. Go to bit.ly/2020VAreport to learn more.
Blog for posting
Title: New Report Reveals State of Local Vector Control Capacity in the U.S.
Authors: Anupama Varma (Communications Specialist) and Angana Roy (Senior Program Analyst), NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials’ (NACCHO’s) 2020 National Vector Control Assessment results are now available as a report at bit.ly/2020VAreport. Just under 500 local vector programs across forty-eight states and the District of Columbia are represented among the assessment’s respondents. The report, released with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gives a comprehensive overview of improvements made in mosquito surveillance and control activities at the local level since the assessment’s first iteration in 2017. Just in time for Lyme Disease Awareness Month, the report also features a comprehensive analysis of tick surveillance and control capacity at the local level, with the baseline analysis indicating that tick surveillance and control activities lagged behind mosquito-related activities at the time of the 2020 assessment. With the burden of tickborne diseases increasing, urgent action may be needed to better understand the kind of obstacles local programs encounter around tick-related activities.
KEY FINDINGS
Mosquito Surveillance and Control Capacity
- The proportion of programs considered fully capable in mosquito surveillance and control tripled between 2017 and 2020 (from 8% to 24%, respectively).
- Limited capacity to test for pesticide resistance appeared to be the determining factor keeping most programs from becoming fully capable in mosquito control and surveillance—with only 31% of programs reporting capacity in this area.
- Mosquito Control Districts (special districts created for the purpose of managing mosquito-related activities) continued to outperform local health departments in terms of mosquito surveillance and capacity.
Tick Surveillance and Control Capacity
In the 2020 Vector Control Assessment, a much lower number of programs reported tick-related activities than mosquito-related activities. The data from the 2020 assessment provides a baseline measure of local capacity for tick-related activity, paving a way for future interventions in the field.
- One in five programs (21%) reported tick surveillance activities. Only 3% reported any type of tick control activity.
- Of programs engaged in tick surveillance, more than half (55%) target Ixodes scapularis or the blacklegged tick, the predominant vector for Lyme disease.
- Most programs did not engage in education and outreach around preventing tickborne diseases.
The 2017 assessment findings have been used to inform CDC funding of state and local vector control programs, and to determine how NACCHO can best provide targeted guidance and training opportunities for local agencies. The 2020 assessment results may help inform the development of resources or support to help bolster local level vector control even further.
What You Can Do
- Help amplify the report’s findings using this digital communications toolkit to recognize Lyme Disease Awareness Month in May and National Mosquito Control Awareness Week in June. The messages can inform your local county leadership and other decisionmakers on the need for funding and dedicated resources to help local health departments prevent, and respond to, vector-borne diseases. Use the hashtag #NationalVCAssessment to keep the social media momentum going!
- Local health departments can now use our Practical Guide to Building Local Mosquito Control Capacity to start building a new program or bolster current capacity.
- Learn how COVID-19 impacted local vector control response right as the pandemic took hold and more than a year later.
We want to hear from you!
- To get in touch with us about questions regarding the assessment, please email vectorcontrol@naccho.org.
- Learn more about NACCHO’s work at naccho.org/vector-control.
Credits:
Created with images by Thanumporn - "Amazing wild nature view of layer of mountain forest landscape with cloudy sky. Natural green scenery of cloud and mountain slopes background. Maehongson,Thailand. Panorama view." • smuay - "Newborn aedes albopictus mosquito"