I can’t believe that my time with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Dengue Branch is already coming to an end. Living in San Juan, Puerto Rico for 6 weeks has been unforgettable, and I will really miss the people, the beaches, and the food! I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to learn from such passionate and dedicated individuals working at the forefront of public health, and for their eagerness to mentor me and allow me to take the lead on projects. I also spent a lot of time working with the CDC’s local partner organizations, the Communities Organized for the Prevention of Arboviruses (COPA) and the Puerto Rico Vector Control Unit (PRVCU), and I’m so thankful for their willingness to include me in their projects and help navigate the challenges of language barriers and study logistics!
This was my first time working with mosquito-borne diseases, so I’ve learned a lot in just a short time. One of my favorite activities was assisting COPA with yard inspections, where we looked for mosquito breeding sites in different water vessels such as plant saucers and bromeliads. I learned about the life cycle of the mosquito in detail, and the most common practices used to control adults and larvae. During the last few weeks of my practicum, I was in Caguas assisting the PRVCU with the start of their dengue serosurvey. This involved going door-to-door recruiting participants by explaining the project, passing out flyers, scheduling appointments, and recording household information in Survey123. I also assisted the community engagement leaders and phlebotomists during the appointments with dengue test set-up, blood collection, and recording participant information. I have learned a lot about the logistics required to successfully complete a serosurvey as well as some of the unanticipated challenges and how to navigate them.
This summer practicum experience has allowed me to build upon my skills and broaden my knowledge of arboviruses, as well as continue to grow as a public health professional. I look forward to working with the CDC and their partners remotely for the next few months as I wrap up a manuscript on outbreak vector control strategies and continue working on my master’s paper.
-Stephanie