neighboring nations. As such, this article aims to comment on how Korea should improve its approach to the issue of mos- quito-borne diseases as an emergency for mosquito control.
nents. Unfortunately, some of these chemicals can cause harm or unnecessarily exterminate pollinators such as honeybees and other ani- mals that are important food sources, such as fish and birds. Furthermore, these types of chemicals have been used as adulticides or larvicides to target various mosquitoes (Meier et al., 2022). Adulticides include pesticides, spray- ing equipment, and other applications to control adult mosquitoes. Larvicides con- trol mosquito breeding or larvae and include diverse chemicals, insecticides, oils, and films. Application of larvicides is limited, however, because of the size of aected areas, lack of workforce, and inaccessibility, among other reasons. Institutional Aspects of Integrated Emergency Management Government In Korea, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS, n.d.) is a single emergency management agency that deals with all types of hazards. MOIS has yet to investigate or act on mosquito-borne disease emergen- cies. Furthermore, MOIS has not systemati- cally collaborated with KDCA on this public health issue. KDCA should address this issue with support from MOIS. KDCA should also expand its activities related to this issue and have MOIS facilitate the surveillance of mos- quitoes or related diseases. Overall, not only MFDS but also local governments need to cooperate with one another to address this public health issue. Researchers Public researchers included individuals working for KDCA and MFDS. In terms of emergency management, researchers work- ing for both the Korea Fire Institute and National Disaster Management Research Institute under MOIS need to expand their studies on mosquito-borne diseases and their treatments in emergency situations for mosquito control. At the same time, pri- vate researchers should investigate the same topic more comprehensively, as they might be less restrained by bureaucratic regula- tions (Armed Forces Pest Management Board, 2015). With the cooperation of pub- lic researchers, private researchers can con- tinue to research mosquito-borne diseases
and methods to protect the population from mosquitos and the diseases they carry.
Local Communities Local communities include the food indus- try, mass media, and residents. The local food industry needs to implement e cient dis- posal of food waste and wastewater. The mass media has the ability to deliver information on mosquito-borne diseases to the public before, during, and after the occurrence of natural disasters. Additionally, the mass media must alert the public about emergencies in a timely manner. And residents, while continuing to separate reusable solid waste and debris dur- ing waste management, should monitor the emergence of abnormally high numbers of mosquitoes in their households and around where they live. Furthermore, residents should report on the situation to local public health centers. Functional Aspects of Integrated Emergency Management Chemical Management The heavy reliance by Korea on chemical con- trol indicates that the nation has dealt primar- ily only with the emergency response phase— or at most, the emergency recovery phase—by using pesticides and insecticides. To this end, the nation must address all four phases of the mosquito emergency management cycle: 1) prevention/mitigation, 2) preparedness, 3) response, and 4) recovery. Before an out- break of infectious diseases, the nation must further address measures related to chemicals that control mosquitoes such as legalization, inspection, forecasting, emergency operation plans, and training and exercises. Biological Management Biological predators of mosquitoes include flying insects, bats, birds, turtles, frogs, fish, parasites, and pathogens. Multiple biologi- cal predators play a role in preying on mos- quitoes, including mosquito larvae, mos- quito pupae, and adult mosquitoes (Yi et al., 2014). To avoid disrupting the order of the ecological system, Korea needs to develop basic emergency operation plans and inte- grate them to maximize the spread of preda- tors into the environment. Simultaneously, the nation must determine what needs to be improved in this type of biological manage-
Centralized Chemical Response
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency
As an independent governmental institution, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) plays a key role in deal- ing with mosquito-borne diseases in Korea. KDCA has provided national guidelines on the management of mosquito-borne diseases at the central government level. The eorts of KDCA (n.d.) have contributed to the devel- opment of a centralized response system. Although the agency believes that mosquito- borne diseases are directly related to human health, the urgent need for mosquito control has not been su ciently advocated for and addressed in Korea. Moreover, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS, n.d.) has provided a list of appropriate mosquito repellents as part of its involvement in controlling mosquito- borne diseases. According to MFDS, though, mosquito repellents are detrimental to food and drug safety because they contain toxic materials. Various local governments have attempted to manage mosquito-borne dis- eases within their administrative regions through the use of control measures such as electric insect traps and solar-powered mos- quito traps. As an example, with the support of volunteers, the cities of Ulsan and Guri successfully reduced the number of mosqui- toes in their areas through the use of these types of control measures. Chemical Control Chemical control refers to the use of chemicals to control mosquitoes. Chemical controls fre- quently are implemented in Korea when dis- ease transmission from mosquitoes or public health concerns about these potential vectors are imminent. Thus, in Korea, the government has strongly encouraged people to use pesti- cides and insecticides to control mosquitoes and prevent mosquito-borne diseases. In the use of such chemicals, precaution- ary directions or warning labels are indicated on their containers due to their toxic compo-
17
October 2023 • Journal of Environmental Health
Powered by FlippingBook