Vector Control / Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Photo of two people inspecting a rodent hole.

Improve the capacity of your program to control vectors and prevent vectorborne diseases using the resources below. This topic page contains links to resources produced by CDC’s Environmental Health Services Branch, our grantees, and other partners.

Featured Resources

Public Health Foundation, PHF – reports from local vector control programs, and a driver diagram to identify and address drivers of vectorborne disease (produced through a larger project between PHF and CDC )

Rodent Control Program Profiles (National Association of City and County Health Officials, NACCHO) – profiles describing best practices, challenges, and technical assistance needs of local rodent control programs (produced in collaboration with CDC)

Tools & Guidance

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC – information from CDC's Zika website

Integrated Pest Management: Conducting Urban Rodent Survey[PDF - 627 KB] – manual for classroom use and field training for rodent and IPM programs, includes a reference for survey techniques and preparing reports and maps

Pictorial Keys to Arthropods, Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals of Public Health Significance – used to teach animal identification to personnel without special training in taxonomy

Recommendations for Rodent Control After a Disaster – precautions for limiting household exposure, cleaning up rodent-contaminated areas, and other recommendations for residential areas

Vector Control Fact Sheet[PDF - 261 KB] (National Association of Local Boards of Health, NALBOH) – fact sheet from NALBOH's Environmental Health Primer

Vector Control Population Health Driver Diagram[PDF - 290 KB] (PHF) – tool for identifying and addressing drivers of vector-borne disease transmission in a community (produced through a larger project between PHF and CDC )

Training

Biology and Control of Insects and Rodents (National Environmental Health Association, NEHA) – free online course on IPM, vectorborne diseases, effective pest control methods, and vectorborne diseases as possible bioterror agents (sponsored by CDC)

Photo of a man holding a cage with trapped rats.

Biology and Control of Vectors and Public Health Pests: The Importance of Integrated Pest Management (NEHA) – updated free online course on identifying and managing bed bugs, along with an extensive discussion on rodents and other pest management approaches (sponsored by CDC)

Control of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Other Tickborne Diseases through Integrated Pest Management (NEHA) – free online course providing foundational knowledge on controlling Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other tickborne diseases through IPM (sponsored by CDC)

Environmental Public Health Online Courses (EPHOC) – comprehensive CDC workforce development resources for environmental public health practitioners, with this 15 courses, including Zoonoses, Vectors, Pests, and Weeds

Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response (EHTER) – training addressing environmental health impacts of emergencies and disasters, with modules on vectors, pests, and other topics

NYC Rodent Control Academy (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene) – training on managing rodent populations through IPM [developed with funding from the EHS capacity-building program]

Publications & Investigations

Photo of a dog's ear with ticks covering the inside.

Evaluation of a Neighborhood Rat-Management Program — New York City, December 2007–August 2009. MMWR – report on how neighborhood inspections, prompt communication with owners, publication of findings, and fines for noncompliance reduced rat infestations

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) Rodeo Project – CDC efforts with American Indian communities in Arizona to address an outbreak of Rocky Mountain spotted fever caused by dogs carrying disease-transmitting ticks

Rodent Control Program Profiles (NACCHO) – profiles describing best practices, challenges, and technical assistance needs of local rodent control programs (produced in collaboration with CDC)

Vector Control Performance Assessment and Improvement Reports (PHF) – reports from local vector control programs using the Environmental Public Health Performance Standards to improve their performance (produced through a larger project between PHF and CDC )

Vector Control Publications – vector control publications from CDC’s Environmental Health Services Branch

General Information & Other Useful Links

Before the Swarm: Guidelines for the Emergency Management of Mosquito-Borne Disease Outbreaks (Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, ASTHO) – analysis and recommendations for countering the threat of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks: plan ahead, involve others, use the best science and data, inform the public, and responding to a mosquito-borne epidemic emergency

Environmental Protection Agency, EPA – information on preventing, identifying, and treating bed bugs; controlling rodent infestations; and using IPM in schools

Public Health Confronts the Mosquito: Developing Sustainable State and Local Mosquito Control Programs (ASTHO) – recommendations for creating sustainable mosquito-control programs

Reducing Your Child’s Asthma Using Integrated Pest Management: A Practical Home Guide for Parents[PDF - 1.52 MB] (IPM Institute of North America) – guide describing the signs, symptoms, and causes of childhood asthma and teaching parents IPM practices to use at home

Rodents – suggestions on rodent control during and after a rodent infestation

Stormwater Management and Vector Breeding Habits[PDF - 221 KB] – fact sheet on managing stormwater runoff

The Business Case For Integrated Pest Management in Schools: Cutting Costs and Increasing Benefits[PDF - 550 KB] (IPM Institute of North America) – case study explaining how IPM can improve health initiatives, facility management, and renovation and design strategies

Vector Control – section from our Emergency and Terrorism Preparedness for Environmental Health Practitioners website on vector control

West Nile Virus – maps, statistics, and information on preventing, treating, and controlling West Nile virus

What Is Integrated Pest Management?[PDF - 305 KB] – fact sheet defining the five components of IPM