Florida seeks new tools to stop dengue outbreak

While all eyes are on the Gulf oil spill, another natural disaster worsens as Key West Florida battles the first U.S. outbreak of dengue in 75 years. With over 30 confirmed cases (27 in 2009, 8 in 2010) and 5% of residents showing exposure to the mosquito-spread disease, Florida is seeking new tools to stop the emerging threat. Aiming to enhance their existing control program, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) turned to SpringStar Inc in Woodinville, WA. The company has exclusive rights to a novel military invention proven in scientific tests to reduce mosquito populations that transmit dengue.

“This collaboration advances our project a year, and we are immensely proud that our efforts will help resolve this critical public health situation.”

The Trap-N-Kill® system was invented by military researchers Brian Zeichner and the late Dr. Michael Perich. It uses a simple cup system that turns traditional pesticide methods on their head: instead of spraying pesticide hoping to touch and kill mosquitoes, the trap brings mosquitoes to the pesticide, using their irresistible urge to lay eggs against them. The proven system uses 99% less pesticide and provides a more economical and ecologically-safe alternative to traditional methods, such as aerial spraying of residential areas.

SpringStar's research program is funded by the Armed Forces Pest Management Board to improve the technology and create a biodegradable version. With the dengue threat building, all company efforts turned to the Florida problem. The company produced 50,000 recyclable traps, prepared a toxicology review, generated a reviewed scientific protocol, and received an emergency use permit from Florida to deploy traps in early July. Traps will be placed around selected homes in the City of Key West for 3 months in an effort to break the mosquito life cycle and stop the dengue outbreak.

The Florida deployment is aided by scientific input from the USDA - ARS, expertise and labor from the Navy Entomology Center of Excellence and the Army Public Health Command (Provisional) with input from the EPA Pesticide Registration Agency. SpringStar's head of research Sam Hapke said, "This collaboration advances our project a year, and we are immensely proud that our efforts will help resolve this critical public health situation." His team will coordinate government and military staff, working alongside the FKMCD staff, to deploy and monitor the traps in the Key West demonstration trial. The field scientific team will maintain a blog of the project on the company web site at www.mosquitoscience.net. The ultimate goal of the project is to stop dengue transmission and submit a data package to the EPA proving the system works in the U.S. Traps can then be sold in retail stores. One big-box buyer is prepared to place traps in its Key West store as soon as EPA grants an approval for sales.