Critical Analysis of Pest Control in L’Aquila (Abruzzo, Italy) After Earthquake

Abstract:
This is a summary of the operating system for pests management in the L’Aquila area during the seven months following the earthquake (06/04/2009 - 31/10/2009). The management system involved both purely technical aspects (equipment, pest control products, field operations, etc) and the more human aspects (comfort, reassurance, playing down of the fears and anxieties that pests can cause in earthquake victims). Pests are in fact both a public health risk and a source of psychological distress. Pest control activities aimed to achieve the following objectives: reduce the population density of pests in the area and reduce the risk of possible vector-transmitted diseases. The 395 pest control operations carried out in this zone enabled us to evaluate our professionalism in an extremely difficult situation. Specific training of the workers involved in these operations and post-action debriefing have been done. This experience has provided a motivating force to direct our efforts towards specialisation in non-epidemic emergencies.