P-34 - Guam Vector Management

Abstract: In 2019, Guam experienced its first dengue outbreak in 75 years, vectored by Aedes albopictus. The Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services’ Guam Mosquito Surveillance and Control Program (GMSCP), responsible for the island’s vector management activities, operates from the purposely built Guam Environmental Public Health Laboratory. The GMSCP focuses on disease case vector control response, vector surveillance, and preventative vector control measures to prevent future transmission of vector-borne diseases in Guam. High-risk areas were identified for routine mosquito trapping using pre-outbreak mosquito surveillance data, vector surveys, human census data, and dengue outbreak case information. Mosquito adult and egg surveillance were conducted by the GMSCP vector team, using the Biogents Sentinel™ traps and black oviposition traps. Adult populations and egg abundance were monitored weekly at identified high-risk locations, resulting in continuous surveillance data from 2021 to 2024. Additionally, GMSCP conducted CDC bottle bioassays on Ae. albopictus to evaluate insecticide susceptibility for residual spray applications. Furthermore, GMSCP coordinates local community engagement through the Guam Mosquito Advisory Group, involving local stakeholders, including the Guam Environmental Protection Agency, the Guam Department of Agriculture, the Mayor’s Council of Guam, the US Department of Defense, and the Pacific Island Health Officers Association. GMSCP also aligns its activities with the regional efforts of other US-Affiliated Pacific Islands through the Pacific Island Vector Management Council, which Guam currently chairs. These efforts collectively have been crucial to addressing public health concerns and allow GMSCP to continue to respond to imported dengue cases, thus maintaining Guam’s dengue-free status.