What is it about?
The Bioagent Transport and Environmental Modeling system (BioTEMS) was developed to help protect communities and facilities from biological weapons of mass destruction. BioTEMS has been modified to evaluate mosquitoes, ticks and other vectors and the disease organisms they transmit. This paper discuses how three ports in Florida are at risk from the importation and spread of mosquitoes infected with Zika virus.
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Why is it important?
Zika virus and other viruses transmitted by mosquitoes are spreading around the globe. The possibility of Zika virus invading a community exists wherever there is the right environment for the virus and mosquito vector to survive and multiply. This study provides information to public health officials to help them identify plan mosquito surveillance and control, and virus testing.
Perspectives
Public Health officials sometimes underestimate the role mosquitoes play in the invasion and transmission of viruses. The Asian Tiger mosquito is one of the best species in the world at invading new territories and it has been shown to be able to transmit Zika and several other viruses. It's eggs can last months under harsh conditions and the adults can fly several thousand feet. These invasive mosquito species can spread by ship, plane, train and automobile. The BioTEMS model can predict where mosquitoes will invade, what direction and how far they will spread. Using technologies like BioTEMS in combination with new pest control technologies, like the ProVector Flower, will allow us to protect human and animal health, protect bees and reduce cost and environmental contamination.
Dr Thomas M Kollars
Liberty University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Assessing likely invasion sites of Zika virus-infected mosquitoes in civilian and naval maritime ports in Florida, Research and Reports in Tropical Medicine, January 2017, Dove Medical Press,
DOI: 10.2147/rrtm.s123456.
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