As the climate changes, mosquito and other vector-borne diseases like dengue, Zika, Lyme, West Nile, and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) are on the rise. So far this year, there have been 9.4 million cases of dengue fever in North, South and Central America which is the highest number ever recorded. In the United States alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 289 cases of West Nile Virus, including a notable infection that required hospitalization for Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Recently, a man in New Hampshire died from the mosquito-borne illness EEE and the threat of EEE in the New England area has prompted some towns in Massachusetts to close parks and encourage residents to stay indoors after dusk. The CDC has documented 4 human cases of EEE from mosquitos so far this year, highlighting the growing risk. Additionally, for the first time reported in the United States, 21 travelers returning from a trip to Cuba were found to have the mosquito-borne illness, Sloth Fever, officially known as Oropouche Virus.
How Did We Get Here?
A mild winter and hot summer across the Western Hemisphere have fueled the growth of the mosquito population. The nation is amid peak mosquito season, as the insects tend to be most active in August and September. The risk will continue into the fall until there is a hard frost that kills the mosquitoes.
It is likely that increased risk for mosquito-borne illness is the new normal and our nation’s healthcare system, providers and public health departments should prepare.
Given the rarity of mosquito borne illness in the United States, many healthcare providers have never seen mosquito borne illness cases and therefore may not be aware of what symptoms to look out for or tests that should be ordered. Health systems, state and local government and all of us should utilize the CDC’s Integrated Mosquito Management Toolkit as a guide to be prepared.
Health System and Provider Preparedness
- Develop Emerging Infectious Disease Emergency Operations Plans: Plans should incorporate ability to scale operational response to disease outbreaks including mosquito borne illnesses. Ensure hospitals and clinics are equipped to handle an influx of patients with mosquito-borne illnesses, including sufficient staffing, testing capacity, isolation and specialized treatment rooms.
- Simulate outbreak scenarios: Regularly conduct drills and exercises to prepare healthcare staff for rapid response to a surge of patients.
- Create training curriculum: Especially for primary care and emergency medicine healthcare providers to better identify patient symptoms of mosquito borne illness and warning signs of severe illness progression.
- Community education: Inform the public about mosquito-borne virus symptoms, prevention, and when to seek medical attention.
- Report cases: Follow local guidelines to report mosquito borne illness cases to state and local health departments.
State and Local Public Health Department Preparedness
- Implement control programs: Establish ongoing mosquito control measures, including safe community spraying of neighborhoods with insecticide and other mitigation measures such as public education on reducing mosquito breeding sites.
- Disseminate community warnings: Quickly inform residents when mosquito-borne illnesses are detected locally or regionally and offer guidance on protection.
- Establish intergovernmental coordination: Report cases to CDC via ArboNET, the national arboviral surveillance system managed by CDC and state health departments and lead investigations into outbreaks.
- Conduct targeted outreach: Focus on healthcare providers who are more likely to identify cases (i.e., primary care and emergency medicine physicians) or healthcare systems serving highly mobile populations such as migrant and border health clinics.
How to protect yourself against the mosquito-borne diseases
The best way to avoid getting a mosquito borne illness is to avoid getting bitten by a mosquito that potentially is carrying a virus. To help protect yourself:
- Use an EPA-approved insect repellent with ingredients, like DEET, when going outside particularly at dawn and dusk.
- Wear loose-fitted long-sleeved shirts and pants when in an area that may be more prone to having mosquitos.
- Mosquito-proof your home by repairing any window screens.
- Dump and drain containers that hold water to reduce mosquito egg-laying sites in your home and neighborhood.
- Seek medical care if you have been bitten by a mosquito and have symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, rash, nausea, swollen lymph nodes, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, dizziness, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Preparing for the increased frequency of mosquito-borne illnesses requires a multi-faceted approach involving healthcare systems, health departments, and individuals. By enhancing surveillance, strengthening infrastructure and plans and promoting public awareness, we can mitigate the impact of a potential new normal and safeguard our health and communities against the growing threat of mosquito-borne illnesses.
Hagerty Can Help
Our professionals can help healthcare system or health department with developing preparedness plans for increased mosquito borne illnesses, including the identification and management of federal funding to support mitigation and offset expenses for response.
Additionally, Hagerty provides ongoing contracted emergency preparedness support and stand-by contracted staffing for rapidly scaling up your team during an emergency response. At Hagerty, our expert professionals have supported over 100 hospitals and more than 95 COVID-19 response missions across 25 states, helping state, local, non-profit, and private sector organizations increase their operational resilience amid a major health emergency. We can do the same for your organization.
Jeff Bokser is Hagerty Consulting’s Vice President of Healthcare Programs with strategic expertise in all aspects of healthcare operations, finance, organizational resiliency, institutional preparedness and recovery. Jeff has over 20 years of experience as a senior leader at New York-Presbyterian and Yale New Haven Health and served as Incident Commander guiding 40,000+ employees through numerous internal and external emergency response and recovery operations.