Department for Control of Vectors and Pests of Public Health Importance

Short history

In the National Institute of Public Health (the predecessor of National Center for Epidemiology) the DDD- Department (Disinfection = disinfection and sterilization, Disinsection = defense against insects and Deratization = defense against rodents threatening human health the two latter recently known as pests of public health importance) was officially founded in the 1st of August 1966 as the predecessor of todays Department for Control of Vectors and Pests of Public Health Importance. On the 1st of January 1976 the department divided and kept up the work as the Disinfection and as the Disinsection and Deratization laboratory. In 1984 the recent structure was formed, and the Department for Control of Vectors and Pests of Public Health Importance was founded.

Scope of activities

• Our department is aware of the occurrence of pests of public health importance, the state of defense against them, and the related epidemic and public health danger.
• It coordinates and helps the work of regional institutes, pest control firms and pest control operators on the field of its specialty.
• It conducts researches to introduce and adopt new biocides and techniques in our state.
• In some cases it follows up the current state of resistance to biocides.
• In the product authorization process its duty is based on efficacy tests - to make a proposition for product authorization and the products user category for the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of State.
• The department maintains insect breeds for efficacy studies (such as Blattella germanica german cockroach, Blatta orientalis oriental cockroach, Musca domestica - housefly, Pediculus humanus humanus body lice, Cimex lectularius - bedbug, Aedes aegypti yellow fever mosquito at the picture).
• It registers the authorized biocides.
• Itpublishes regularly the list of the authorized biocide products in Hungary, and their intended uses in a legally binding issue (Guideline for the use of authorized biocides).
• It participates in drafting new legislations concerning public health pest control.
• According to the joint Decree 38/2003/(VII.7) of Ministries of Health, Social and Family Affairs, and Agriculture and Regional Development, and Environment Protection on the terms and conditions for manufacturing and distribution of biocide products, our department participates in the biocide revision program of the European Union by following up the revision process and evaluating the dossiers of active substances made by given Rapporteur Member States in product types 14 (rodenticides), 18 (insecticides), and 19 (repellents/attractants). The departments scope of duty is to coordinate the mutual recognition process of biocidal products and to make a proposition of their authorization/registration for the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of State in the above mentioned product types.
• It summarizes and analyses the data of aerial mosquito control given by the licensees.
• It summarizes and evaluates the data of the annual reports given by the regional institutes, it makes a report for the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of State, and presents the gained experiences on an annual meeting.
• It publishes the list of authorized biocides in the journal of the NCE, the Epinfo to inform the concerned.
• The staff of the department performing educational work at the Semmelweis Universitys Faculty of Health Sciences.
• It publishes methodological letters concerning pests, as special issues in the Epinfo journal.

Epinfo special issues:

2001
3. Lice
9. Mosquitoes
10. Ticks

2002
2. Cockroaches
5. Rodents
8. Bloodsuckers (bedbugs, fleas, bloodsucking flies, midges and arachnids)

2003
4. Houseflies and other food visitor flies
7. Lice II.
9. Guide to placing biocide products on the market

2004
2. Venomous arthropods 

2005
2. Mosquitoes II.

2006
2. Defense against pests in hospitals
5. Defense against particular pest birds (feral pigeon, house sparrow, european starling)

2009
3. Ticks II.

Epinfo special issues can found at:
//www.oek.hu/oek.web?to=16&nid=444&pid=1&lang=hun

Data requirements for authorization of biocidal products against public health pests