02466nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001653000900042653001900051653001500070653002000085653001800105653001900123653001200142653002500154653001000179100001400189700001100203700002200214700001400236700001200250700001100262700001400273700001300287245015800300856004500458300000700503490000600510520163600516       2017                            d10aNTDs10aVector control10aMosquitoes10aCommunity-based10aParticipation10aSocial science10aMalaria10aLymphatic filariasis10aHaiti1 aBardosh K1 aJean L1 aBeau De Rochars V1 aLemoine J1 aOkech B1 aRyan S1 aWelburn S1 aMorris J00aPolisye Kont Moustik: A culturally competent approach to larval source reduction in the context of lymphatic filariasis and malaria elimination in Haiti.  uhttp://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/2/3/39/pdf  a390 v23 a<p>Community engagement has become an increasingly important focus of global health programs. Arbovirus emergence in the Americas (Zika and chikungunya virues), and global goals for malaria and lymphatic filariasis elimination, mean that community-based mosquito control has taken on a new salience. But how should mosquito control initiatives be designed and implemented in ways that best engage local people? What are the challenges and trade-offs of different strategies, not only for effectiveness but also for scale-up? In this paper, we describe the social and political dynamics of a pilot study in a small town in northern Haiti. With the aim of developing a culturally-competent approach to larval source management (LSM), our pilot project combined larval surveillance with environmental management, social engagement, community education, and larvicide application. Orientated around a network of ‘Mosquito Police’ (<em>Polisye Kont Moustik</em>, in Haitian Creole), our approach integrated elements of formative research, social learning, and community participation. Here, we reflect on the challenges we encountered in the field, from larval mapping, staff management, education and behavior change, engagement with formal and informal leaders, and community-based environmental cleanup. We discuss how these programmatic efforts were influenced and shaped by a complex range of social, cultural, political, and economic realities, and conclude by discussing the implications of our community-based approach for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis and malaria, and other vector-borne diseases, in Haiti.</p>