VECTORBORNE DISEASE AND CONTROL
Abstract
The study develops quantitative estimates of the potential postattack threat from vectorborne diseases. The diseases chosen for analysis on the basis of previous estimates of importance are plague, epidemic typhus, murine typhus, mosquitoborne encephalitis, and rabies. The analysis is based on a set of explicit assumptions about postattack medical services and command-and-control in the absence of specific plans to combat vectorborne diseases. The regional distribution of risk is considered. It is concluded that in the absence of specific pre attack preparations, the best estimate is that 2 percent of the survivors may contract one of these diseases and 0.75 percent of the survivors may die from one of these diseases. Plague in the western states might be expected to account for one-half of the cases and two-thirds of the deaths from vectorborne diseases. Thus vectorborne diseases are a potential postattack problem, but are less of a potential hazard than the enteric or the man-to-man disease groups. Methods of control of rodents, rodent ectoparasites, lice, and mosquitoes are reviewed. Normal inventories of pesticides are estimated to be adequate in quantity and distribution to support postattack vector control operations. Dissemination of information in the postattack period is judged to be of prime importance in controlling the vectorborne disease threat. The relative magnitude of the postattack vectorborne disease threat indicates that only low cost pre attack preparations such as recognition of the threat in plans and the maintenance of records of commercial inventories are needed and are feasible.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1968
- Accession Number
- AD0671821
Entities
People
- D. R. Johnston
- T. Johnson
Organizations
- RTI International