To learn about how local mosquito populations are controlled to protect Minnesotans, students in the Vector Field Ecology course spent a day with staff members from the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD). The MMCD provides services to the 2.7 million people living the Twin Cities.
At a MMCD lab, students peered through microscopes to see some of Minnesota's 50 mosquito species, as well as deer ticks. MMCD officials explained how their work helps to control infectious diseases like West Nile virus and Lyme disease. Next stop: a harborage site where students took turns sampling mosquitoes from a marsh.
"Giving students access to front-line workers helps them understand the complex process behind vector-borne disease control and surveillance," says SPH associate professor Craig Hedberg. He taught the course with David Nietzel, lead epidemiologist for surveillance of mosquito-borne and tick-borne diseases at the Minnesota Department of Health.
"Dave's expertise and professional connections played a key role in this experience," says Hedberg.
The day gave Stephan Singleton a new perspective on disease control. Singleton is taking courses to add an M.P.H. to her D.V.M. degree, while working at the U's Center for Animal Health and Food Safety.
"Most new human diseases are zoonotic, meaning they come from animals," she says. "This course addressed the actual vectors, essentially going to the source [of those diseases]. The experience gave a way to understand the whole picture."
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