Current status of mosquito control programs in North Carolina: the need for cost-effectiveness analysis.

Mosquito control in the U.S. is both technically specialized and labor intensive with mosquito control programs (MCPs) carrying out services at federal, state, and local levels.

Assessment of qualifications needed by environmental health graduates entering private-sector employment.

The goal of the study described here was to provide a snapshot of knowledge, skills, and abilities currently required by employers in the private sector of the environmental health and safety field, specifically for entry-level positions attainable by individuals recently earning a bachelor's degree in environmental health. Information was collected first through the screening of 115 entry-level job descriptions posted on a popular environmental health and safety Internet job-seeking site. Because of the predominance of industrial hygiene and safety job descriptions found, a second data source was created-an online opinion survey taken by 98 American Industrial Hygiene Association-registered consultants certified in industrial hygiene.

Door to door survey and community participation to implement a new county mosquito control program in Wayne County, North Carolina, USA.

Community involvement in mosquito management programs provides more sustainable and effective organization and service. A door to door survey in Wayne County, NC carried out by student volunteers, resulted in 60 household responses. Residents had not previously experienced outreach from the county (88%), and 95% of them thought the student door to door survey was an effective form of outreach.

Pubic lice (Pthirus pubis): history, biology and treatment vs. knowledge and beliefs of US college students.

Pubic lice (Pthirus pubis) maintain a worldwide parasitic population infesting two to over 10 percent of human populations, continuing a presence that has been constant since early evidence 10,000 years ago. Outbreaks in the 1970s have been recorded, but incomplete records preclude description of a definitive population cycle. Current levels of infestation in a US college student population were investigated in this study.

Bedbug infestations in the news: a picture of an emerging public health problem in the United States.

Bedbug (Cimex lectularis) infestations have become a major complaint in all but three states in the United States. Increasing infestations have also been reported in Asia, Australia, Europe, and Canada. Newspaper articles often herald the onset of a new health issue for the public, and they can be used for epidemiological tracking of increasing populations of irritating and potentially serious vectoring pests.

Comparisons of mosquito populations before and after construction of a wetland for water quality improvement in Pitt County, North Carolina, and data-reliant vectorborne disease management.

Wetlands serve an important purpose in flood control and water quality, but constructed-wetland sites also provide habitats for mosquito breeding. Communities near constructed-wetland sites often raise a "mosquito" objection when constructed wetlands are proposed. Wildlife and wetland advocates can confuse the public by making unsubstantiated claims about natural predators eliminating or controlling mosquito problems in a constructed wetland.