Today the spotlight shines on Environmental Health Supervisor Joshua Smith, who has dedicated over 17 years to researching, handling, and educating the community on issues surrounding disease-carrying insects in Fairfax County.

As the supervisor of the County’s Disease Carrying Insects Program, Josh combines investigative work with public health science. Each day, Josh and his team pose essential questions: Where are the mosquitoes and ticks coming from? How are they affecting our community? And most importantly, what can we do about it?

"Since I started in this field, I've always loved doing fieldwork, the investigatory nature of the job, and the connection to public health. We can take the knowledge we have and distill it down to what people really want to know: how do I keep them from biting me and how do I get rid of them?"

Through direct community interactions, such as tick identifications and yard inspections, our disease carrying insects program staff translate complex entomology into practical solutions tailored to each resident's specific situation.

We can all do our part to help prevent disease-carrying insects in our communities. Check your yard/property for standing water (tip and toss when you see it), examine yourself/loved ones for ticks after outdoor activities, and use repellent to prevent insect bites.

Ticks are out in “full force” in springtime. Anyone finding a tick on themselves or their loved ones may take a photo, send it to the Health Department and a staff member will identify it and let the inquirer know what type of tick bit them. This is helpful in case the person experiences symptoms and must tell a doctor the precise type of tick bite they suspect since different types of ticks carry different diseases.