Introduction Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in developing countries like the Caribbean, negatively affect multiple income-generating sectors, including the tourism industry upon which island states are highly dependent. Insect-transmitted NTDs include, but are not limited to, malaria, dengue and lymphatic filariasis. Control measures for these disease, are often ignored because of the associated cost. Many of the developing country members are thus retained in a financially crippling cycle, balancing the cost of prophylactic measures with that of controlling an outbreak. The purpose of the paper is to bring awareness to NTDs transmitted by insects of importance to humans, and to assess factors affecting such control, in the English-speaking Caribbean. Method Comprehensive literature review on reports pertaining to NTDs transmitted by insects in the Caribbean and Latin America was conducted. Data search was carried out on PubMed, and WHO and PAHO websites. Results and conclusion Potential risk factors for NTDs transmitted by arthropods in the English-speaking Caribbean are summarised. The mosquito appears to be the main insect-vector of human importance within the region of concern. Arthropod-vectors of diseases of veterinary importance are also relevant because they affect the livelihood of farmers, in highly agriculture based economies. Other NTDs may also be in circulation gauged by the presence of antibodies in Caribbean individuals. However, routine diagnostic tests for specific diseases are expensive and tests may not be conducted when diseases are not prevalent in the population. It appears that only a few English-speaking Caribbean countries have examined secondary reservoirs of pathogens or assessed the effectivity of their insect control methods. As such, disease risk assessment appears incomplete. Although continuous control is financially demanding, an integrated and multisectoral approach might help to deflect the cost. Such interventions are now being promoted by health agencies within the region and various countries are creating and exploring the use of novel tools to be incorporated in their insect-vector control programmes.
<p>Mismanaged plastic waste continually accumulates in the marine environment. A large amount of its emission to the ocean originates on land and is transported by rivers, streams and artificial drains. However, monitoring efforts and knowledge building on the dynamics and quantification of these emissions based on field research is scarce and subject to local catchment scale.</p> <p>Here, we present an experimental study of plastic waste transport and retention dynamics in artificial drains (gullies) subject to flash floodings in short drainage areas of Kingston, Jamaica. We developed a novel plastic waste piles survey using UAV and field measurements. The offered investigation has the potential for estimation of plastic waste piles (i) volumes and composition, (ii) transport-retention-remobilization cycles and (iii) correlation with local hydro-meteorology, especially during peak events, where most of the plastic waste is transported.</p> <p>Until now, monitoring efforts were carried out on the lower stretch (1km) of three gullies flowing to Kingston Harbour and the Caribbean Sea during 90 days in the hurricane season of 2021 on a bi-weekly basis. The current dataset includes 24 orthorectified images of the gullies and plastic waste piles. Direct samples of the plastic waste piles are being collected for ground-truth validation. We observe that plastic waste piles are more prominent when large objects (such as refrigerators, tree branches or tyres) are present, forming a base for greater accumulation and affecting remobilization cycles.</p> <p>These results are essential for understanding macroplastic transport processes and the development of innovative technological solutions preventing plastics inflow into the ocean. It has the potential to provide insights into the operational performance before and after the implementation of interception solutions or mitigation measures. Furthermore, it serves as baseline data to strengthen local policy-making on initiatives assessing harmful effects in surrounding ecosystems.</p>
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