Engaging Community Health Workers in Mosquito Control Surveillance in an Urban Desert Environment

Abstract

This project examined the practicality of partnering with community health worker organizations in southern Arizona to conduct larval surveillance for the Aedes aegypti mosquito. In this study community health workers were trained using a one-day didactic classroom training on mosquito-borne disease and surveillance, followed by a hands-on larval surveillance training. Pre- and post-survey scores given before and after the didactic training indicate a significant increase in knowledge about mosquito-borne disease and surveillance. Furthermore, during the first mosquito season community health workers successfully collected mosquito larval samples, showing proof of principle for CHW in mosquito surveillance. Logistical issues prevented community health workers from conducting household mosquito surveillance during the second mosquito season. These findings indicate that while training is effective, competing responsibilities may limit the capacity of community health workers to conduct mosquito surveillance.