Candidate: Joshua Costin

Please check out my website at www.NoZikaNaples.com for more information. Mosquitos are a nuisance when their numbers get out of control, affected quality of life for residents, negatively impacting tourism, and are an important cause of serious diseases in Florida. These are the reasons we MUST have proactive and efficient mosquito control districts in Florida. My goal: to achieve the greatest reduction in mosquitos (while simultaneously reducing disease) using the absolute least amount of chemicals necessary and for the lowest cost to taxpayers possible. A quick summary of my qualifications: • I hold a PhD in Microbiology & Immunology, with a concentration in virology • I am a research scientist in the field of arboviruses (viruses transmitted by mosquitos) o I specifically work on arboviruses such as Zika virus, dengue virus, West Nile virus, chikungunya virus, and St. Louis encephalitis virus, among others. o I have the ability to evaluate the scientific evidence behind: • chemical spray usage • emerging non-chemical technologies to fight mosquitos • newly emerging diseases spread by mosquitos • I am a member of the professional public health community o I hold membership in the: • American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH), • American Society for Virology (ASV), • American Society for Microbiology (ASM) • I run the Biology department of a Biotechnology company o I have excellent project management skills o Working in private industry I know how to most efficiently use a budget to achieve project goals About me. I was raised in Naples, Florida in the early 1980’s at a time when we were worried about mosquito-borne diseases such as St. Louis Encephalitis and HIV. HIV you say? Yes, HIV! Of course we now know that mosquitos do not transmit HIV, but my experience highlights the central tenant of my campaign for Collier County Mosquito Control District Seat 4 – knowledge is power. My ability to stay abreast of current research in mosquito-transmitted viruses informs the public health. I hold a PhD in Microbiology & Immunology from Tulane University. My dissertation was on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). I helped to start up a research program in virology [the study of viruses] at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) as a postdoctoral scholar, and later as a research faculty in the Biotechnology research group. My research has focused on flaviviruses such as dengue virus, West Nile virus, and St. Louis Encephalitis virus, but also involved other viruses like Chikungunya virus and yellow fever virus. This is relevant, because these are the very viruses that have invaded our state over the past 15 years – West Nile virus in 2001, dengue virus in 2009, chikungunya virus in 2014, and now Zika virus in 2016. These viruses are all capable of causing extreme illness including temporary and permanent forms of paralysis, birth defects, and death. I am currently the head of Biology for a local biotechnology company where our motto (borrowed from Hippocrates) is “our food should be our medicine, and our medicine should be our food.” Our most recent press release announced our results with finding a potential cure for the Zika virus: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/broad-spectrum-antiviral-drug-hsrx-431-tests-effective-against-zika-virus-300322646.html We are also looking into developing this drug to help stop transmission of the virus through its mosquito vector, potentially bypassing humans entirely! I have a vested interest in keeping Naples a safe place to live as I live and work in Naples. I am a father of a young daughter that loves to play outside. I have all of my extended family that live in Naples with their children. I want them, along with my friends, neighbors, and fellow residents to be safe from these preventable diseases!