Hayden and colleague from Brownsville, TX Department of Health assessing dengue fever mosquito vectors breeding in waste tires (August 2007).Dengue is an emerging arboviral disease with worldwide impact.
Increasing numbers of cases of this disease in both the Americas and
Asia necessitate an examination of changing human and vector ecology in
order to better understand the dynamics of dengue transmission. This
transmission is especially important in geographic areas where dengue
has more recently emerged. Research in these areas seeks to develop
interventions to slow or halt the further expansion of dengue, and to
efficiently focus preventive efforts.
An outbreak investigation within the Lower Rio Grande was conducted in Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros, Mexico in 2005. This research revealed the highest prevalence of human anti-dengue antibodies in the continental United States in the last 50 years and the first case of classic dengue hemorrhagic fever acquired in the continental United States. The data indicate many more infections in Matamoros than in Brownsville and highlight the need to delineate the various influences, including climate, on dengue transmission dynamics.
Because dengue fever is transmitted by an urban, peridomestic mosquito, examination of waste tires and other water-holding containers in close proximity to households is critical to a clear understanding of the potential role that tires play in mosquito breeding sites. To better inform educational campaigns directed toward tire clean-up, it is necessary to ensure that household members understand the risk and are willing to engage in activities leading to tire removal/mosquito breeding site mitigation. Local government efforts to control tires must also be informed by careful evaluation to ensure efficient and effective quality control efforts.
Analysis and write-up of 2007 field work is planned for 2008. Additional funding will be sought to expand the study to better understand the human-environmental interactions that contribute to disease transmission in the TX-MX border region.
Research team:
Mary Hayden, PhD, Lead NCAR Scientist, ASP Postdoctoral Fellow and NCAR Visiting Scientist
Stephen Waterman, MD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC)/Border Infectious Disease Surveillance Program, San Diego, CA
Roy Burton, State Entomologist, Texas Department of State Health Services
Jose Luis Robles, MD, Coordinador Médico de Servicios de Salud,
Jurisdicción Sanitaria 3. Tamaulipas Secretaria de Salud, Matamoros, MX
Brian Smith, MD, Regional Director, Public Health Region 11, Texas Department of State Health Services
Josue Ramirez, Director, Brownsville Department of Health
Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez, DrPH, Behavioral Scientist, CDC/Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases
Roberto Barrera, PhD, Chief of Ecology and Entomology, CDC/Dengue Branch/Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases
This research is funded by NSF through its support of the SERE Laboratory, the Pan American Health Organization, and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
