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For Immediate Release

September 20, 2024

Pesticide Applicator Training Successfully Completed to Strengthen Yap's Mosquito Vector-Borne Disease Prevention Efforts

Yap, Federated States of Micronesia - We are pleased to announce the successful completion of the Yap State Public Health Pesticide Applicator Training, held from August 12th to 16th at Yap Hospital.


Led by an expert team of trainers—LT Jonathan R. Stawicki, MPH, US Navy Environmental Health Officer, Task Force Koa Moana 2024, Abena Yeboah, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class, Task Force Koa Moana 2024, and Dr. Limb Hapairai, Regional Medical Entomologist from the Pacific Island Health Officers’ Association (PIHOA)—this critical training aimed to enhance the public health capabilities of Yap State.


Participants from various key agencies, including the Yap State Environmental Protection Agency (YSEPA), Yap State Department of Health Services (DHS), Yap State Division of Agriculture and Forestry (DAF), and the Yap Area Health Education Center (AHEC), attended the five-day course. The training focused on equipping participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to pass the Public Health Applicator’s Examination through a combination of coursework and practical, hands-on activities.


Following the US-EPA Category 8 guidelines, the training emphasized integrated pest management (IPM) strategies to control public health pests, particularly mosquitoes. Participants learned about mosquito biology, insecticide resistance, and the best practices for managing both local and invasive mosquito species. The program culminated in a challenge exam, which saw 16 trainees successfully earning their pesticide applicator licenses, officially endorsed by YSEPA.

A highlight of the training was the practical simulations, where participants applied their newly acquired IPM skills in real-world scenarios, such as addressing dengue fever outbreaks. They specifically practiced managing Aedes aegypti and Aedes hensilii, mosquito species known to transmit dengue, in local community and school settings.

Mr. Max Talimelipiy, DHS Vector Officer, expressed the importance of the training: “We have long waited for this training. It will ensure that we are better prepared for future mosquito disease outbreaks like dengue that may affect our communities or islands. The training will also help us better serve the people of Yap State.”


Yap State is the third state in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) to receive this training, following similar programs in Pohnpei and Kosrae in 2023. This initiative represents a critical step forward in FSM’s ability to manage and respond to vector-borne disease outbreaks.


Reflecting on the collaborative efforts between Yap State and the United States, LT Jonathan R. Stawicki emphasized the partnership’s significance. “This training reaffirms our commitment to the people of Yap. Together, the United States and Yapese communities are building stronger, healthier environments for all.”

This training effort is a component of PIHOA’s Regional Vector Management Improvement Strategy and Implementation Plan (RVMIS) endorsed in August 2018 by the USAPI health leadership in response to the increasing risk of outbreak-prone mosquito vector-borne diseases in the Pacific region. The RVMIS outlines the following key objectives:

  1. Improve local and regional systems and capacities for mosquito and mosquito pathogen surveillance, including development of early warning systems and lab-based detection and surveillance capabilities;
  2. Strengthen local systems and capacities for timely and effective mosquito control and management;
  3. Establish and sustain regional mechanisms for leadership development and peer networking, training, and information exchange, including support to the USAPI Pacific Islands Vector Management Council (PIVMC) and the Pacific-wide Pacific Vector Network (PVN) under the SPC’s Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network (PPHSN);
  4. Establish and sustain collaborative partnerships with key technical and development partners to ensure more coordinated and effective technical support to the USAPIs; and
  5. Explore innovations in mosquito control and management technologies and approaches appropriate and scalable to the USAPI context.

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About the Pacific Islands Health Officers' Association


PIHOA's mission is to improve the health and well-being of the USAPIs by providing, through consensus, a unified, credible voice on health issues of regional significance. Established in 1986, PIHOA is governed by and represents the collective interests of the USAPI health leadership from American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. 

 

PIHOA’s Secretariat, comprised of executive, administrative, and technical staff and consultants, provides support to the USAPI health agencies and leadership in the following priority areas: health workforce development; epidemiology and surveillance; health systems performance improvement; laboratory services; regional health leadership and policy advocacy; Pacific health security; and, partnership engagement and coordination. PIHOA has two offices in Honolulu, Hawai’i, and Hagåtña, Guam.


Media Contact


Billie Hiraishi

Communications Officer

billieh@pihoa.org


Dr. Limb Hapairai 

Regional Medical Entomologist 

limbh@pihoa.org