{"id":9293,"date":"2016-11-03T20:41:35","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T00:41:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/"},"modified":"2016-11-03T20:42:38","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T00:42:38","slug":"killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Killing Mosquitos in the Age of Zika: AMVAC Considers Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cZika is now here.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

With his statement on July 29, 2016, Dr. Thomas Frieden, the Director of the CDC, confirmed what had long been feared\u2014Zika had found its way to the United States1<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

First isolated in Uganda in 1947, reports of human illness from the Zika virus remained sporadic until 2007. In that year, an outbreak in Micronesia caused mild fevers in a few dozen people. Then, over the following 9 years, the virus popped up intermittently across several isolated Pacific islands, proving to be little more than a nuisance to those affected. In April of 2015, however, Zika struck again, only this time it was much more infective, and dramatically more aggressive. Starting in Brazil, Zika rapidly spread across South America, leaving thousands sickened for weeks with rashes, conjunctivitis, and severe bone pain. What\u2019s worse, after the wave of initial illness, Zika was linked to a growing incidence of microcephaly and other related birth defects, as well as Guillan-Barre Syndrome, a progressive paralytic condition that, although temporary, leads to death in 5% of cases. Public health officials raced to stem the spread of Zika, but it outpaced their efforts in the Caribbean before making landfall in Miami in the summer of 2016.<\/p>\n

While it remains uncertain why Zika suddenly became more virulent, its spread to new regions of the world is intimately tied to the effects of global climate change. The virus is primarily spread by the Aedes aegypti<\/em> mosquito. Preferring hot, humid environments, Aedes aegypti<\/em> has historically been contained to tropical regions of the world. With changing global climate though, its habitat has expanded into more temperate zones in Europe and North America2<\/sup>. In fact, mosquitos capable of transmitting Zika have recently been found as far north as Washington DC3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Considering that the trends in the global climate are likely to put an increasing number of people at risk of infection, it is imperative that public health officials exhaust all resources at their disposal to halt the spread of the disease. With an effective vaccine unlikely to reach the market for years to come4<\/sup>, the most effective current weapon against Zika remains mosquito control. Thus, municipalities across much of South Florida have invested heavily in insecticide spraying programs.<\/p>\n

\"spray\"<\/a>Mosquito-control worker spraying Dibrom insecticide in Miami
\nSource: British Broadcasting Company<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\"plane\"<\/a>Plane spraying Dibrom insecticide over Miami
\nSource:\u00a0New York Times<\/strong><\/h5>\n

There are dozens of chemical compounds on the market that effectively kill adult mosquitos. However, one agent in particular, Dibrom\u2014produced by AMVAC Chemical Corporation, a $400 million agricultural-chemical company out of Los Angeles, California\u2014has been widely used by public health officials given its relative safety and ease of administration5,6<\/sup>. With Aedes aegypti<\/em> mosquitos likely to spread further into the American heartland in coming years, AMVAC must carefully consider how its business should adapt to the opportunities and threats of climate change.<\/p>\n

\"amvac\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Opportunities:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Market demand for insecticides that are easy-to-spray, non-toxic, and effective is likely to increase in the future. AMVAC stands to primarily benefit as Dibrom is the most used agent on the market. Additionally, Zika virus and other vector-borne diseases stand to increase in incidence in the United States, and the public is likely to demand additional agents to kill larval mosquitos and other pests, like ticks and fleas, opening new potential markets for AMVAC.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Threats:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The continued use of Dibrom is by no means certain. Currently, Dibrom is classified as a \u201cRestricted Use Insecticide\u201d granting access only to governmental agencies7<\/sup>. While public health organizations across the world sprayed millions of pounds of Dibrom in the last year alone, its use has come under scrutiny.<\/p>\n

Dibrom is sprayed as an \u201cultra-low volume fog\u201d in which droplets are aerosolized and diffuse through the atmosphere. This formulation is difficult to target precisely, and Dibrom can accumulate in the environment where it is toxic to numerous plants and animals. Dibrom also breaks down rapidly to form dichlorvos, a known carcinogen linked to birth defects. These environmental and health concerns led hundreds of people to protest the use of Dibrom in Puerto Rico, even as that country was reeling from a massive Zika outbreak8<\/sup>. More recently, aerial spraying of Dibrom has been linked to the death of millions of honey bees in America9<\/sup>. Given a public that is increasingly aware and proactive about environmental and ecological damage, AMVAC should be wary of how Dibrom is used and perceived.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What AMVAC Should Do:<\/strong><\/p>\n

AMVAC recently expanded its production capacity of Dibrom and should continue to forecast future demand to ensure that it can supply its market. AMVAC should also boost R&D to improve upon the current formulation of Dibrom (aiming for increased stability, improved effectiveness, and reduced toxicity) and to create new and complimentary products. Additionally, AMVAC should pursue relationships with regulatory agencies to ensure that the use of Dibrom is secure in the future, and to push for greater access of Dibrom among private companies.<\/p>\n

(795 Words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Pam Belluck, Lizetter Alvarez, and Donald McNeil, \u201c4 Zika Cases in Florida Were Likely Spread by Local Mosquitos, C.D.C. Says\u201d The New York Times<\/em>: July 29, 2016.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. Moritz Kramer, et al. \u201cThe Global Distribution of the Arbovirus Vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. Albopictus\u201d eLife<\/em>: June 30, 2015.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, \u201cZika Virus: Potential Range in US\u201d http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/zika\/vector\/range.html<\/a>, accessed November, 2015.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
          \n
        1. Elijah Wolfson, \u201cZika Vaccines are on a Fast-Track, but it won\u2019t be Fast Enough to Handle the Current Outbreak,\u201d Quartz<\/em>: August 5, 2016.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            \n
          1. Environmental Protection Agency, \u201cNaled for Mosquito Control\u201d https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/mosquitocontrol\/naled-mosquito-control<\/a>, accessed November, 2016.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
              \n
            1. Califronia Department of Public Health, \u201cSafety of Pyrethrin and Pyrethroid Pesticides Used to Control Adult Mosquitos\u201d http:\/\/www.cdph.ca.gov\/HealthInfo\/discond\/Documents\/SafetyofPyrethrinandPyrethroidPesticidesUsedtoControlAdultMosquitoes09-14.pdf<\/a>, accessed November, 2016.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                \n
              1. Environmental Protection Agency, \u201cRestricted Use Products Report,\u201d https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/pesticide-worker-safety\/restricted-use-products-rup-report<\/a>, accessed November, 2016<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                  \n
                1. Susan Scuttl, \u201cWhat are Mosquito-Control Workers Spraying in Miami?\u201d CNN: August 25, 2016.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                    \n
                  1. Sandee LaMotte, \u201cZika Spraying Kills Millions of Honeybees,\u201d CNN: September 2, 2016.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    Zika has arrived in the US, spurred on in part by global climate change. AMVAC, an agricultural-chemical company, produces the insecticide Dibrom, which aims to kill mosquitoes before they infect you. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2467,"featured_media":9295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[1430,1431,1432,1433,1390],"class_list":["post-9293","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-amvac","category-dibrom","category-insecticides","category-mosquito","category-zika"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/climate-change-challenge-2016\/","yoast_head":"\nKilling Mosquitos in the Age of Zika: AMVAC Considers Climate Change - Technology and Operations Management<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Killing Mosquitos in the Age of Zika: AMVAC Considers Climate Change - Technology and Operations Management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Zika has arrived in the US, spurred on in part by global climate change. AMVAC, an agricultural-chemical company, produces the insecticide Dibrom, which aims to kill mosquitoes before they infect you.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Technology and Operations Management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-11-04T00:42:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Skeeter-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"610\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"353\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\\\/\",\"name\":\"Killing Mosquitos in the Age of Zika: AMVAC Considers Climate Change - Technology and Operations Management\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/Skeeter-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-04T00:41:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-11-04T00:42:38+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/Skeeter-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/Skeeter-1.jpg\",\"width\":610,\"height\":353},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Submissions\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Killing Mosquitos in the Age of Zika: AMVAC Considers Climate Change\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/\",\"name\":\"Technology and Operations Management\",\"description\":\"MBA Student Perspectives\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"性视界Action\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Killing Mosquitos in the Age of Zika: AMVAC Considers Climate Change - Technology and Operations Management","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Killing Mosquitos in the Age of Zika: AMVAC Considers Climate Change - Technology and Operations Management","og_description":"Zika has arrived in the US, spurred on in part by global climate change. AMVAC, an agricultural-chemical company, produces the insecticide Dibrom, which aims to kill mosquitoes before they infect you.","og_url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/","og_site_name":"Technology and Operations Management","article_modified_time":"2016-11-04T00:42:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":610,"height":353,"url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Skeeter-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/","name":"Killing Mosquitos in the Age of Zika: AMVAC Considers Climate Change - Technology and Operations Management","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Skeeter-1.jpg","datePublished":"2016-11-04T00:41:35+00:00","dateModified":"2016-11-04T00:42:38+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Skeeter-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Skeeter-1.jpg","width":610,"height":353},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/killing-mosquitos-in-the-age-of-zika-amvac-considers-climate-change\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Submissions","item":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Killing Mosquitos in the Age of Zika: AMVAC Considers Climate Change"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/","name":"Technology and Operations Management","description":"MBA Student Perspectives","potentialAction":[{"@type":"性视界Action","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission\/9293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/hck-submission"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2467"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission\/9293\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}