Avian flu resources, Tick and Mosquito Research

WMPHA news & updates

February 5, 2025

Health Director Input Sought for Tick and Mosquito Resarch

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst asked us to share this invitation with WMPHA membership:

You are invited to participate in a focus group discussion to talk about your work as a public health director in Massachusetts.

We want to learn about your experiences and challenges as a local public health director, along with what you think about how mosquito/tick control, surveillance, disease prevention, and related policy work is going in Massachusetts or New England in general.
We are interested in how you manage/share data and what information you prioritize when making decisions.
We want to hear about your communication with the public and collaborations with other professionals in your field.

The focus group discussion will include 6-10 public health directors from MA, will take approximately 1 hr, will be recorded, and will occur over Zoom or in-person.

All participants will have the option of either a $40 Amazon Gift Card or a $40 Dunkin Gift Card as a token of our gratitude for your help.

If you are interested in participating in this focus group, please fill out this short screening survey and indicate if you would prefer an in-person or Zoom focus group.

The New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (NEWVEC) was formed in July 2022 and is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The NEWVEC team is interested in learning what is going well and what challenges might be interfering with public health entomology and vector control work. We will identify ways we might be able to support professionals working on all types of vector control and public health response across New England.

Participation is voluntary and the researchers will keep your identifiable information confidential. Our study findings will be presented in summary format and you will not be identified in any publications or presentations.

Lead researcher:

Andrew Lover, MS, MPH, PhD

Associate Professor – Epidemiology & Deputy Director - NEWVEC

School of Public Health and Health Sciences

University of Massachusetts - Amherst

alover@umass.edu - 413-545-7426

Trainings and Workshops

Avian Flu Resources: What Residents Can Do

If you work with animals or have a backyard flock, please consider this MDAR backyard flock guidance and this CDC guidance on how to reduce exposure to avian influenza for those working with animals.
Avoid exposure to sick or dead animals. If you are unable to avoid exposure, protect yourself by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) (see CDC guidance ). CDC defines exposure in this case as “in direct or close contact (within about six feet) with sick or dead animals.”
Report disease and death in birds (MDAR has online reporting only):
Report observations of dead wild birds
Report disease in domestic poultry
Practice food safety: Cook meats to recommended temperatures and consume pasteurized dairy products.
Get your flu vaccine. This will not prevent avian influenza. This can prevent the possibility for a co-infection between seasonal influenza and avian influenza. It would not be good for this viruses to co-mingle in the body, as it could create an opportunity for mutation in avian influenza.
If you have questions about your backyard flock, you may contact your town’s animal inspector. Find your town’s animal inspector in this directory (PDF, 189 KB) created by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
Keep an eye out for information:
CDC’s page on avian influenza (people)
MDAR’s page on avian influenza (animals)
USDA’s page on avian influenza (animals)

Legislative Updates

Bill Filed to Protect Drinking Water

Recently filed legislation would enable Massachusetts to develop minimum statewide water quality standards for private wells and expand a financial assistance program to remediate wells affected by PFAS (“forever chemicals”) and other harmful contaminants in drinking water supplies.

"An Act Protecting Drinking Water Quality in Private Wells" (SD847/HD3597) by Senator Jamie Eldridge, Representative Natalie Blais, and Representative Meghan Kilcoyne would support equitable access to clean and safe drinking water.

The newly filed legislation would grant the MassDEP authority to establish standards and define testing requirements for new and existing private wells. Upon the sale of a home, testing of a private well used for drinking water would be required (similar to the state’s Title 5 septic system regulations). The state would make resources available to assist eligible homeowners with the cost of well water upgrades.

WMPHA's Executive Committee was supportive of this bill during the last legislative session, and encourages you to reach out to your legislators and ask them to co-sponsor it.

This news was covered extensively by numerous outlets including the Greenfield Recorder, Franklin Observer, and WWLP- 22 News.

See Bill Language Here

Job Postings

Public Health Jobs in Western MA:

BRPC Public Health Trainer job description here

BRPC Public Health Planner job description here

Easthampton Health Director job description here

Valley Regional Health Collaborative Health Inspector job description here

WMPHA and Partners submit feedback on state Accessory Dwelling Unit Regulations

WMPHA and our public health association partners statewide worked together to submit feedback to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communites as part of their public input process as they develop Accessory Dwelling Unit regulations. The ADU regulations are a result of the Governor's recent signature of the Affordable Homes Act. More about ADUs is available here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/accessory-dwelling-units

We are looking forward to updated guidance from MA DEP on how Title 5 is impacted, if at all, by the new law.

READ TESTIMONY HERE

Western Massachusetts Public Health Association | Website