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close this bookEmergency Vector Control after Natural Disaster (PAHO)
close this folderPart III: Consultants
close this folderChapter 9: The role of consultants in vector control
View the document(introductory text...)
View the documentRecruitment
View the documentBriefing and Equipment
View the documentActivities of Consultant upon Arrival
View the documentRecommendations and Reports
View the documentFollow-up
View the documentTraining

(introductory text...)

Frequently, entomological and vector control consultants or teams of multidisciplinary control personnel are needed in the period following a natural disaster. The composition of such teams will depend upon the nature of the disaster and the needs of the country. In general, the team may include an entomologist, a vector control specialist, a rodent control specialist and a sanitarian. If the country has a serious malaria problem, a malariologist should be added to the team. Any individual or team should collaborate with members of epidemiological teams and existing medical and vector control staffs.

Perhaps also needed are personnel who have had practical experience and training in the assembly, calibration, operation and maintenance of vector control equipment.

The Pan American Health Organization maintains a list of experts in these fields, some of whom have had experience as consultants during natural disasters. The Organization also has a procurement unit that is experienced in handling orders for equipment and supplies, and the unit is available to assist governments in emergency situations.