Navy Entomology Center of Excellence (NECE) staff attended the 17th Arbovirus Surveillance and Control Workshop, held at the Anastasia Mosquito Control District (AMCD) headquarters, St. Augustine, Fla., March 29-31, 2022.

NECE personnel learned the latest updates on innovations in mosquito surveillance and control, while also providing presentations on insecticide resistance (IR) and mosquito control equipment.

Lt. j.g. Sierra Schluep, Navy entomologist and Assistant Department Head of Testing and Evaluation at NECE, was invited by the AMCD director to present on her research detailing the status of statewide insecticide (permethrin) resistance in the yellow fever mosquito, a capable transmitter of chikungunya, Zika, and dengue virus. Her presentation addressed how increased pesticide metabolism by insecticide-resistant mosquito populations can undermine vector control both at home and abroad. Schluep’s work boosts the development of NECE’s Insecticide Resistance Response System (IRRS), a Department of Defense (DoD) platform that monitors IR in disease vectors.

“Being in a room full of mosquito professionals, I took every opportunity to further my knowledge with the needs of the Navy in mind,” said Schluep. “NECE, and our Fleet, benefit greatly from these opportunities to establish new collaborations and identify novel areas of mosquito research pertinent to military operations."

NECE research entomologist, Dr. James Cilek, was invited to demonstrate the Green Gorilla® battery operated backpack sprayer and moderate one of the workshop’s sessions. Pesticide application demonstrations like this enhance NECE’s Testing and Evaluation program by both reporting assessments and aligning industry product design to better protect deployed Sailors and Marines from mosquito-borne disease.

This important three day workshop included 170 attendees, 65 invited speakers, and equipment demonstrations from four pesticide technology representatives. Presenters were comprised of CONUS and OCONUS students and professionals across the technical field. NECE’s participation in events like this continues to maintain the Navy’s capability to provide state-of-the-art-global force health protection.

NECE is a field activity of the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC), Portsmouth, Va. NMCPHC develops and shapes public health for the U.S. Navy and Marines Corps through health surveillance, epidemiology and analysis, disease and injury prevention, and public health consultation. Learn more by going to www.nmcphc.med.navy.mil. Follow NMCPHC on social media at https://www.facebook.com/NavyAndMarineCorpsPublicHealthCenter http://twitter.com/nmcphc and https://www.instagram.com/nmcphc/