Casas del Bosque: Solution to the Killer Bugs

Report to the Board of the Casas del Bosque Management

Prepared by Victoria Ann Valdez
November 19th, 2018

Stratford Family Health Team;” Things you Should know About the Zika” (4)
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Abstract
The purpose of this report is to recommend to our board of directors of the Casas del Bosque
Management, regarding the importance of protecting, providing and insuring the safety, health
and satisfaction of our residential community. Over the past few months, residents of our
community have expressed great concern to our management regarding the increase in mosquito
transmitted diseases such as the Zika virus. It has become a top concern and priority of ours to
inform, provide and act upon this concern to ensure satisfaction and provide means of protection
for our community members. The methodology used in this report is gathered from internet and
library sources regarding the Zika Virus as well as information regarding mosquito prevention in
heavy populated areas.
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Table of Contents

Title…………………………………………………………………...…………1
Abstract...........................................................................................………….. ...2

Introduction………………………………………………………..…………….3
Purpose…………………………………………………………….....………….4
Main Point…………...…………………………...……………….……….…….4
Importance…………………………………………………………………..…...5
Background of the Mosquito and Zika……………………………………..……5
Criteria/Methodology……………………………………………………………6
Recommendations……………………………………………………………….7
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………8
Appendices……………………………………………………………………...9
References……………………………………………...………………………10
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Introduction
Casas del Bosque is located in the heart of Albuquerque, near the Bosque forest. Our
mission is to provide the best possible living experience and community that we can offer, while
maintaining customer satisfaction in as many ways as we are able to offer. It is important to us
that we meet the needs of our residents and keep them happy, healthy and safe to the best of our
abilities. We stress the importance of providing the materials needed and doing our absolute
most to help minimalize the issues of our residential community. Recently, we were introduced
to a growing concern within our community, involving the Zika outbreak in Florida, and the fact
that our properties are located near the swampy, wet areas of the Bosque forest and Rio Grande.
Our goal is to develop a recommendation that addresses the needs of our residents and creates a
safer, more thought out way of handling these pests.

Purpose
The purpose of this report is to work proactively to address this solution and work to
resolve it. Not only will we as a resident housing be making ourselves more marketable in
our implementations of these new protections, we will also be minimizing our liabilities to
the best of our capabilities.

Main Point
Looking at the main point(s) in this report, we will be focusing on what we as a
company can do to address the concerns of our residents and community members,
to implement into our system a more proactive way of addressing the issue of mosquitos.
Through this report we will be able to understand direct steps in which we can take to resolve
these concerns and look into the future to better them in the coming years. We will also be
providing suggestions and precautions to take in order to protect oneself, especially during
the harsh monsoon season, where the mosquitos are more commonly seen.

Subject
Recently, we were addressed with a concern from our community. Over the past year,
there have been major outbreaks of the Zika virus throughout Florida, which is carried by the
mosquito. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, (2018), (1) .”Zika is
spread mostly by the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, Zika can be passed from
a pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects, and
there are currently no vaccines or medicines for Zika”. This disease has been a growing concern
for many citizens of the United States as well as other countries since it was first discovered in
the early 1900’s. According to an article written on The Telegraph, (2018) (2), regarding the Zika
virus and what to do if you caught it, the Zika virus was first identified in Africa in 1947. Since
then,” It has spread significantly across the world since the first reported case in Brazil in
2015.” (2)
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Figure I. (3.) What is the Zika Virus, Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Since the recent outbreak in Florida, along with the growing number of people being
infected by this virus, the community is very concerned and worried about; 1. The location of
our property, since we are located on the edge of the Bosque forest, right next to the Rio
Grande, where, especially during Monsoon season we are very prone to bugs of all sorts,
especially mosquitos, and 2.) What measures we are going to take to implement into our
amenities and operation of our facilities to best address this issue to protect our community
members from any sort of bug, especially mosquito, to the best of our abilities.

Importance
Why is this important? In order for a company to continue to have its stability with
leases, and growth of residency, we need to have the credibility and customer rapport that
reflects onto other people, thus maintaining our popularity amongst our sector. When it
comes to the relevance of mosquito concerns, it is a matter of customer satisfaction and
overall protection, which in the end if done successfully, builds that positive rapport.

Background of the Mosquito and Zika

It is important when developing policy implementations for an organization that you
know the background of the issue you are addressing. Below we will be covering the specific
details, importance and precautions one must use in order to protect oneself from this
dangerous pest.
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Figure II. https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/zika-florida-1.4023947

Above, you can see the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which, according to the Center for
Disease Control and Prevention, is the main mosquito breed that carries and transmits the Zika
Virus. According to an article by the Stratford Family Health Team,6 the Zika virus was first
seen in the United States by an outbreak in 2015. There are several ways in which the virus can
be spread, two of which include a mother to the child through child birth and during sexual
intercourse from a man to his partner. There are several harsh symptoms that the infected subject
can have, which include fever, headache, pink eye and skin rash. (the Stratford Family Health
Team,6) When researching the specific types of environments that mosquitoes like to live in,
Orkin.com, listed that mosquitos prefer stagnant waters, swamps and areas rich in moisture. (8)
Since we are focusing primarily on the monsoon season in Albuquerque, that description fits us
perfectly, especially since we are very close to the Rio Grande.
Looking forward, we will take this information and evaluate what it is that we as a
company need to do in order to protect our liability, rapport and satisfaction of our customers,
which is very important to our success as an organization. Following this you will be provided
with the recommendations that we have carefully assessed and deem reasonable moving forward.

Criteria/Methodology:
Step I: Develop outline and criteria for the recommendation report
Step II: Gather information regarding the Zika Virus and the harmful effects this virus
can have on people.
Step III: Research and gather information regarding the prevention methods.
Step IV: With thorough research and preparation, assess the best options and develop a
thorough recommendation for the board of directors.
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Step I:
After selecting the rhetorical situation in which to base my report on, the first step I
needed to take was to prepare an outline with the selected information that I presumed best fit
my topic.
Step II:
Next, I needed to research the harmful effects that the Zika virus can have on people.
Since this is a recommendation report, a portion of its content will include information needed to
inform not only the board of directors, but our community members. This information will
include the symptoms, methods of protection and precautionary measures one needs to take. The
methodology used for this section was mainly educational and medical websites that provided
credible resources to use for the recommendation report.

Step III:
This portion is the most important, because it is the core of the recommendation. Our
residents’ biggest concern is the Zika outbreak and what they need to do, as well as what we
need to do in order to prevent mosquitos from taking over our property during the monsoon
season. Research was conducted on the precautionary measures that are important to this issue,
and credible sites were used, including pest control business pages.
Step IV:
With the methodology and resources we were able to gather, recommendations were
formulated that will assist our company moving forward with this concern.

Recommendations:
After thorough research and consideration regarding the upcoming monsoon season here
in Albuquerque, we assess that the best viable options moving forward for our Casas del Bosque
are as followed:

 Phase I: Informing the Community

 Members of our community will receive information, precautionary measures and
suggestions to follow to protect themselves from mosquitos, especially ffuring the
Monsoon season.
 Phase II: Property Maintenance and upkeep
 Our maintenance crews of our property will install mosquito nets on the front of
every apartment door, inside of the regular door that seals with a magnet. This
helps protect the inside of the apartment from being completely open and exposed
to mosquitos from entering the room.
 Phase III: Implementation of preventable measures
 Our maintenance staff will install electric mosquito traps

 Phase IV: Collaboration with the city of Albuquerque Pest Control

 Casas del Bosque will partner with Albuquerque Pest Control in a preventative
initiative to maintain the landscaping of our property, grass, and plants with insect
and bug repellant. We will also spray the outside of every door with insecticide as
well as any amenity on our property, bi-weekly, to help keep the mosquitos away.
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Conclusion
We truly appreciate you all taking time to review our recommendation report on the
importance of taking preventative measures during the Monsoon season to help eliminate the
number of mosquitoes we have on property, to hopefully prevent any chances of the Zika virus
appearing here. We hope that all your questions were answered and that you are able to make a
sound decision that will benefit our company in the long run, while maintaining customer
satisfaction.
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Appendices:
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Reference List:
1. “Zika Virus.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 1 June 2018, www.cdc.gov/zika/about/index.html.
2. Reporters, Telegraph. “What Is Zika and Where Did the Virus Come from?” The Telegraph,
Telegraph Media Group, 12 July 2016, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/what-is-zika-where-
did-the-virus-come-from-and-what-happens-if-i/.
3. “What Is the Zika Virus?” Google Search, Google,
www.google.com/search?q=zika virus&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ah
UKEwi57v68_7TeAhVDulMKHXG2BfAQ_AUIFCgC&biw=1093&bih=526#imgrc=u
DX7plAM6R_7gM:
4. Stratford Family Health Team. “Travel Safe – Things You Should Know About the Zika
Virus.” Stratford Family Health Team, Stratford Family Health Team
Https://Www.sfht.on.ca/Wp-Content/Uploads/2016/01/SFHT-Logo-CL.png, 26 May
2016, www.sfht.on.ca/travel-safe-things-you-should-know-about-the-zika-virus/.
5. “Zika in Florida Spread beyond Miami Area | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 14
Mar. 2017, www.cbc.ca/news/health/zika-florida-1.4023947.
6. Stratford Family Health Team. “Travel Safe – Things You Should Know About the Zika
Virus.” Stratford Family Health Team, Stratford Family Health Team
Https://Www.sfht.on.ca/Wp-Content/Uploads/2016/01/SFHT-Logo-CL.png, 26 May
2016, www.sfht.on.ca/travel-safe-things-you-should-know-about-the-zika-virus/.
7. “Pest Control Albuquerque Exterminator | Insect & Rodent Control.” Preventive Pest Control,
www.preventivepestcontrol.com/locations/albuquerque/.
8. “Where Do Mosquitoes Live? Habitats: Houses, Yards, Ponds, Etc.” Orkin.com,
www.orkin.com/other/mosquitoes/mosquito-habitats/.