Current messaging and dissemination strategies in Arizona counties for mosquito- and tickborne disease

Vector-borne illnesses spread by mosquitos and ticks, such as West Nile virus and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, are becoming more prominent in Arizona. Thus, communication to the public must be dispersed with efficient messaging that can empower and educate community members on risks and actionable steps to induce behavior change to mitigate the associated risks.  To understand Arizona's current and ideal messaging and dissemination strategies, interviews of county health departments and vector abatement programs were conducted and qualitatively analyzed to assess themes in the messaging, dissemination, and challenges for outreach regarding mosquito and tick educational materials. A total of 17 interviews were conducted with 28 people. Two county-level vector abatement programs and one private vector control agency were included and an interview with the Arizona Department of Health and the University of Arizona. A total of thirteen of fifteen Arizona counties were represented in these interviews. The interviews were 11 questions on current and ideal messaging and outreach practices. Various themes were assessed such as themes on the differences in the risk perception among public health officials and perceived community understanding of risk, sourcing of materials, and the difference in concerns between urban and rural areas. The authors note that most counties believe tickborne disease is not an issue and therefore initiate no outreach regarding ticks. Unique challenges by counties have been presented regarding agricultural fields, high turnover of healthcare professionals, anti-chemical community ideals, and shortage of staffing amongst other priorities limiting outreach capabilities.