Vector Control Att D

State Public Health Vector Control Conference:
Workforce and Disease Priorities Needs
Assessment Summary

Seventy-four percent of SPHVCC
survey respondents reported they did
not have a sufficient number of
public health workers to effectively
staff their vector control units.
Background
The first case of West Nile Virus in the
United States reported in New York in 1999
set in motion a chain of events that still has
important implications for vector control
programs today. State, territorial and local
jurisdictions saw increased public attention,
new streams of funding for surveillance
activities and the enactment of more
comprehensive mosquito control measures.
Now, eight years later, West Nile Virus
funding cuts have impacted the states’ and
territories’ ability to conduct comprehensive
surveillance and respond to existing and
emerging vector-borne diseases.1 To gauge
the current situation of workforce needs and
priority issue areas, ASTHO compiled data
in an online survey from the State Public
Health
Vector
Control
Conference
(SPHVCC), which comprises the lead vector
control expert from the health department of
each state and territory. SPHVCC members
from forty-two states responded during the
survey period of June-July 2007. Each
respondent considered how three major
1

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.
Impact of Reduced Funding for West Nile Virus.
2007. Available at:
http://www.cste.org/pdffiles/2007/FinalWNVSumma
ry.pdf. Accessed 07-19-2007.
© 2007 Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

components, workforce needs; opportunities
and challenges; and climate change, affected
his or her specific state.
Workforce Needs
ASTHO found that many respondents
indicated that they do not have the necessary
resources to effectively staff their vector
control units. According to the survey:
•
•
•

•
•

66% (n=21) of respondents said they
lacked capacity for field-based
surveillance and control teams
41% (n=13) of those surveyed
reported they lacked medical
entomologists
41%
(n=13)
of
respondents
commented
that
they
lacked
specialists in public health promotion
and education
38% (n=12) of those surveyed
suggested that they lacked tick
control and disease specialists
25% (n=8) of respondents reported
that they lacked epidemiological
surveillance capacity

Although local jurisdictions represent the
front line of defense in mosquito control
efforts, states and territories are primarily
tasked with carrying out surveillance
activities and responding to emergency
situations and natural disasters. In addition,
states and territories serve as important
sources for technical and laboratory
assistance, funding, public education and the
overall planning and coordination of
mosquito control efforts between local
jurisdictions.
Workforce shortages can
SPHVCC Workforce and
Disease Priorities Needs Assessment

affect public health preparedness by limiting
the capacity of states and territories to
perform these critical functions.

effects on vector-borne diseases.
No
respondent reported that his or her state had
enacted “extensive activity” on the subject.

Opportunities and Challenges

The survey asked SPHVCC members how
ASTHO could best help states prepare for
vector control challenges posed by climate
change. Twenty-two states (61%) replied
that they would like ASTHO to help provide
education and training on the issue of the
effect of climate change on vector control
issues.

In the SPHVCC needs assessment, ASTHO
found that many states are currently
equipped to detect and respond to such
diseases as West Nile Virus and rabies.
However, many states expressed concerns
that they lack the capacity to respond to
emerging pathogens. Fourteen states (42%
of
respondents)
listed
inadequate
surveillance capacity as one of the three
most salient issues of concern for their
vector control programs.
Sixteen states (38% of respondents)
indicated that inadequate funding was the
most challenging aspect of state vector
control activities. Several states reported
that they had no ability to conduct vector
surveillance of any kind. Funds intended for
the control of West Nile Virus originally
helped
states
to
develop
more
comprehensive
vector
surveillance
programs. As one respondent reported,
however, “when federal funds are
redirected, it impacts our capacity for ALL
vector-borne diseases.”

Future Direction
ASTHO will use the results of this survey as
guidance in the development and delivery of
future products and services that more
effectively meet the current needs of vector
control
specialists
and
more
comprehensively address various vectors of
public health concern. Given that many
states expressed remarkable vector control
experiences in response to the survey,
ASTHO plans to provide information about
promising practices and success stories to
SPHVCC members. ASTHO will also
pursue the possibility of holding a Health
and Environment Electronic Seminar on the
threats posed by the combination of
workforce shortages and potential emerging
vector-borne pathogens.

Climate Change
Eighty percent (80%) of
respondents said that their
agencies had undertaken no
activity in regards to preparing
for climate change and its effect
on vector-borne diseases.

Nine states (20% of respondents) indicated
that they had undertaken “limited activity”
to prepare for climate change and its ensuing
© 2007 Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

This fact sheet was supported by a Cooperative
Agreement with the Division of Vector-Borne
Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Department of Health and Human
Services. ASTHO is grateful for their support.
The Association of State and Territorial Health
Officials (ASTHO) is the national nonprofit
organization representing the state and territorial
public health agencies of the United States, the U.S.
Territories, and the District of Columbia. ASTHO’s
members, the chief health officials of these
jurisdictions are dedicated to formulating and
influencing sound public health policy, and to
assuring excellence in state-based public health
practice.
SPHVCC Workforce and
Disease Priorities Needs Assessment

© 2007 Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

SPHVCC Workforce and
Disease Priorities Needs Assessment