The DEET Education Program Hits the Ground Running in 2019

The DEET Education Program (DEP) is a stewardship effort that offers consumers, healthcare professionals and public health and vector control organizations useful information on EPA-registered repellent products, proper product use, and vector-borne disease prevention strategies.  It is supported by the leading producers of DEET and the companies that use this as the active ingredient in repellent products. 

Every year, the DEP attends several national conferences to engage with thousands of healthcare professionals and public health officials. This quarter’s activities included attending conferences such as the American Mosquito Control Association Annual Meeting and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners National Conference. During each of these conferences, the DEP educated the attendees through booth interactions and subject matter expert presentations on the most informed scientific findings regarding repellents based on Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance, as well as emerging vector-borne diseases. The DEP’s success at these national conferences has increased the demand for the Program’s materials, such as educational brochures and other materials, at the state and local level.

During the first quarter of 2019, the DEP participated in multiple state events. In California, the Program created and sponsored an expert panel including representatives from the California Department of Public Health and Duke Medical, at the California school nurses annual meeting This was followed by the Michigan Nurse Practitioners Annual Meeting. During this meeting, the DEP utilized an infectious disease/travel medicine expert to highlight the importance repellent use to help prevent tick and mosquito bites. To finish the quarter, the DEP attended three events in New Jersey, engaging with 21 counties’ public health and vector control representatives.  The DEP also spokes at New Jersey Environmental Health Association Annual Meeting. During these encounters, the DEP informed participants of the American Academy of Pediatrics guidance on repellent use, a leading authority on the overall health of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.

The activities completed this quarter have created a flurry of requests for additional materials, event participation, and professional education opportunities at the national, state and local level. During the remainder of the year, the DEP will participate in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and National Association of School Nurses annual meetings, as well as state events in Oregon, Nebraska, South Carolina and Texas. If you would like more information on the DEET Education Program, please contact Zachariah Parkhill, Project Manager at [email protected] or 202-833-7307.