Social Media and Mosquito Control
Social Media and Mosquito Control
Since the late 1990s, National Mosquito Control Awareness Week (NMCAW) has been an annual campaign among many vector control districts. The rise of social media has allowed organizations to reach a larger and more diverse audience. In 2020, Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) first began to promote NMCAW.
WCCHD leverages the power of social media as a low-cost platform to educate residents of Williamson County, Texas, about its public health services, including mosquito surveillance and control. The 2023 NMCAW included four short videos created using two people, a cell phone, Canva Pro, and Adobe Premier Rush. The videos were published on WCCHD’s social media pages throughout NMCAW.
WCCHD collaborated with an entomologist from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension to discuss mosquito habitat and control. The entomologist is known for their point of view (POV) videos on social media called “Backyard Bug Hunt.” Both WCCHD and AgriLife wanted to collaborate on a “Backyard Bug Hunt- Mosquito Edition” to showcase mosquito control education. These videos featured WCCHD’s vector control supervisor discussing mosquito habitats, mosquito traps used at WCCHD, proper repellent use, and protecting pets from heartworm disease. After filming, a WCCHD marketing specialist utilized Canva Pro and Adobe Premier Rush to edit and publish the videos.
This campaign empowered the community with knowledge and resources to protect themselves from mosquito-borne disease and bring awareness to local mosquito control, reaching nearly a million social media accounts across all sites. WCCHD hopes to maintain this momentum for its future educational campaigns.