My group mates and I ventured to the Lettuce Lake Park on
Fletcher in hopes of capturing a public health moment. A park is a place where
people go to for leisure activities and exercise. It is a public health issue
because the park provides the public an opportunity to exercise in a manner
that is both healthy and enjoyable. At
the park, we were originally going to stick to the topic of exercising but then
we saw a Mosquito Control van pull up next to us. We decided to take a picture
with the Mosquito Control van instead. We chose this topic because Florida has
an immensely large amount of mosquitoes, so controlling its population is a
major public health issue we all deal with inevitably. Mosquitoes can cause a
variety of problems to humans such as carrying and spreading infectious
pathogens or causing skin rashes. As well as negatively impacting us, they can
also affect our domesticated animals. Going to the park on a daily basis to
exercise, wander around or to just relax is a common thing for most Floridians.
Especially when you take into consideration the sunny weather we have in
Florida. Due to how common it is, it is in the best interest of the people
participating in these activities do so in a comfortable and healthy manner. Controlling
the number of mosquitoes in a park becomes a public health issue, because it’s
the health of the public that gets affected if not dealt with.
By: Pratikshya Maharana, Emily Rawlings, Emily Hulings
Thanks to your post I now know there are Mosquito Control vans. This entire blog serves as primary prevention (quiz tomorrow, have this in the brain lol). Also, because the vans help with the reduction of mosquitos, the park becomes more enjoyable and therefore more widely used. The exercise and relaxation you mentioned is a great stress reducer which can be one of the most effective ways to prevent non-infectious diseases according to my Survey of Human Disease textbook by Barbara P. Hamann.
ReplyDeleteI had an idea that Florida had a serious mosquito problem due to the humid climate, but I was not aware that there were "Mosquito Control" vans that assisted our local parks. This makes it clear that the park not only maintains their environment by keeping it clean and rid of garbage, but they also have the courtesy to help control the emense mosquito population that us Floridians get bombarded with. Most of the time, especially in the summer season, you cannot even go for a run at the park or have a picnic without gettin eaten alive by mosquitos. Thus, this shows us as park-goers, that the park is helping the health of the park itself and the people who attend the park though it may not seem to be much of an impact, it still is helping. Pest control, if done properly, is a component of Public Health in the fact that it is helping rid infectious pathogens or diseasesthat pests or insects carry. By-Megan Myers
ReplyDeleteGOOD GOD! If there is one thing that irks me most about being a Florida local is the mosquito infestation we have! Lately, it hasn't been so bad, but when summer comes, it is horrible. And for some reason, they are always worse at night. It also doesn't help that I absolutely despise bugs. This was definitely a post that caught my attention. I knew that there were companies that handled general bug problems, but now that I know that there are companies that are specifically geared toward mosquitoes, I feel much better about going to parks. Hopefully, there may come a time where my peaceful walks in the park do not turn into viscous battles with mosquitoes. Thanks for the excellent post!
ReplyDeleteWow, I didn't even think about mosquito vans. Parks are an excellent place for mosquito's to lay their eggs because of all the standing water. Having a pesticide truck that goes through to ensure that the mosquito population is controlled provides a better experience for those who wish to occupy the grounds. Not only are the people exercising and taking control of their personal health, they don't have to worry about west nile, lime disease, etc. This was a very good choice since it not only covers the exercise aspect, but also the diseases that these bugs may carry.
ReplyDelete