The Importance of Partnership in the Rollout of Triple-Drug Therapy to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis in the Pacific.

We discuss the experience of some Pacific island countries in introducing the new WHO-recommended treatment protocol for lymphatic filariasis-a triple-drug therapy composed of ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine, and albendazole. The successful rollout of the new treatment protocol was dependent on strong partnerships among these countries' ministries of health, WHO, and other stakeholders. Effective communication among these partners allowed for lessons learned to cross borders and have a positive impact on the experiences of other countries.

Development, Optimization, and Field Evaluation of the Novel Collapsible Passive Trap for Collection of Mosquitoes.

Disease surveillance for mosquito-borne pathogens in remote areas can be challenging. Most traps used to collect mosquitoes either need a source of electricity or are bulky and inflexible, making transportation awkward. To reduce these issues we developed three Collapsible Passive Traps (CPTs) and conducted trials in Cairns, Australia to evaluate the optimal design for a CPT and compared them to traditionally-used traps such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Encephalitis Vector Surveillance (EVS) light traps.

Effects of sublethal exposure to metofluthrin on the fitness of Aedes aegypti in a domestic setting in Cairns, Queensland.

Background: Metofluthrin is highly effective at reducing biting activity in Aedes aegypti. Its efficacy lies in the rapid onset of confusion, knockdown, and subsequent kill of a mosquito. In the field, there are a variety of scenarios that might result in sublethal exposure to metofluthrin, including mosquitoes that are active at the margins of the chemical's lethal range, brief exposure as mosquitoes fly in and out of treated spaces or decreasing efficacy of the emanators with time.

Metofluthrin: investigations into the use of a volatile spatial pyrethroid in a global spread of dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses.

Background: Metofluthrin reduces biting activity in Aedes aegypti through the confusion, knockdown, and subsequent kill of a mosquito. A geographical spread in dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses, increases intervention demands. Response to a Zika outbreak may require a different strategy than dengue, as high-risk individuals, specifically pregnant women, need to be targeted.

Field validation of the gravid Aedes trap (GAT) for collection of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

Current surveillance methods for adult Aedes aegypti (L.) are expensive, require electrical power (e.g.

Development of the gravid Aedes trap for the capture of adult female container-exploiting mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae).

Monitoring dengue vector control by sampling adult Aedes aegypti (L.) recently has been used to replace both larval and pupal surveys. We have developed and evaluated the Gravid Aedes Trap (GAT) through a sequential behavioral study.