Public Education

About Public Education

Vector control is a community effort. Without your help, we would not be able to achieve our mission. Public education is one of the most important parts of the work we do. 

We have a special public education and outreach program focused on educating our community, on the importance of animals and insect that can transmit diseases to humans (they are known as vectors). Our goal is to give you the information and tools to protect yourself, family, and pets from vectors and the diseases they carry. 

Our education and outreach program has two services available – presentations and educational booths. 

Presentations

• Available for schools, community groups, and special organizations. 
• Can be in-person or virtual. 
• For in-person presentations, can include live demonstrations and displays. 
• Topics are focused on 
  • Our services 
  • Mosquitoes 
  • Ticks 
  • Rats and mice 
  • Some urban wildlife 
  • What you can do to protect yourself and your home from vectors. 
• For schools, presentations can be customized by grade level and for individual classrooms or school assemblies. 
  • Includes activity books, take home assignments, and hands-on activities. 

Educational Booths

• Educational booths are available for interested groups. 
• Include displays and live demonstrations. 
• Distribution of brochures and educational materials. 
• Giveaways. 
• Can directly talk to a vector control specialist. 

Services

Please note we do not do the following: 

• Offer presentations on wildlife biology or life cycles. 
  • Our presentations focus on providing you with the knowledge and tools to protect yourself from diseases like West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and rabies that can be spread by mosquitoes, ticks, and certain wildlife. 

Request a Presentation or Booth 

When requesting an educational presentation or booth, please indicate the following: 

• Name of organization 
• Contact person name, phone number, and email 
• Date for presentation/booth 
• Event start and end time 
• Age group 
• Number of participants 
• Topic of interest 
• For presentations – indicate if in-person or virtual setting 

Request a booth or presentation

Advertising and Collaboration

Our goal is to reach as many of our community members as possible. Besides our direct education through presentations and educational booths, we also advertise through different media types. You can often find our ads on television, radio, newspapers, bus tails, and in other locations. 

We partner with local agencies whenever possible to have our message reach new groups. Some collaborations include working with the City of San Jose, Alameda Mosquito Abatement District, San Mateo Mosquito and Vector Control, and other community groups. 

Newsletter and Social Media 

We share additional resources, tools, reports, and behind the scenes footage on our monthly newsletter and social media profiles. 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube. Find links to all our resources on our Linktree.  

You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.