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Clearly, this proactive approach to Aedes aegypti control has been to identify and involve all segments of the community. The rationale being that only a program planned, directed, and financed by the community will be truly community-based and sustainable. Finally, it is important to note that the people living and working along the United States-Mexico border must be educated to a point where they accept their responsibility for playing the principal role in the prevention and control of epidemic dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome.
An examination of factors contributing to the resurgence of dengue (e.g., poor public sanitation, inadequate water treatment, and high levels of poverty associated with unsatisfactory living conditions and the presence of appropriate vectors and/or reservoirs) can illustrate how factors on one side of the border relate to and influence those of the other side and ultimately, both nations. The Texas-Mexico border is particularly appropriate for such analysis of the effects of economic, social, behavioral, and ecological factors affecting disease transmission as well as the development of innovative interventions to control or prevent dengue. However, the emphasis should be on disease prevention (e.g., development of a vaccine) rather than mosquito control -- one must take into account that there are significant health risks in the absence of adequate protective measures and eradication programs.
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