Donald Trump has ordered federal agencies to launch a technology-led campaign against invasive ticks and mosquitoes in Washington DC, with the aim of cutting mosquito numbers by 90 per cent and tick populations by half by 2028.
The executive order, signed on September 29, directs the departments of the Interior and Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and the General Services Administration to draw up a plan within 60 days, in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services and the DC authorities.
The campaign will focus on federal land across the US capital, including measures to remove breeding grounds through landscaping, drainage work, mowing and rain gardens. Officials have also been told to consider natural predators and targeted controls.
The order calls for the use of non-chemical methods, including sterile insect techniques and other biotechnology, while seeking to avoid harm to beneficial insects, native plants, animals and public spaces.
Washington DC pest-control campaign
Federal agencies must also address rodents and deer, which the order describes as important hosts in the spread of ticks and tick-borne diseases. Commercial providers and co-operative agreements are to be considered as part of the effort.
The EPA has been instructed to produce a regulatory framework for the development and release of new tick and mosquito control technologies. It must consider sterilisation methods, genetic modification and the use of beneficial bacteria, while prioritising products judged to be safe and effective.
Health officials have been given 90 days to advance research into faster diagnostic tests, preventive treatments and therapies for diseases including Lyme disease, West Nile virus, Zika, dengue fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and babesiosis.
The order also calls for further research into alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to a sugar found in red meat and other products from mammals, and asks officials to explore food and medicine labelling for products containing significant amounts of alpha-galactose.
The White House said the measures were intended to develop a model that could eventually be used across the United States, while improving detection, prevention and treatment of illnesses spread by ticks and mosquitoes.
Implementation will be subject to existing law and the availability of federal funding.
