Freedom and mosquito control: when opting out constitutes a veto of public health interventions.

Abstract

As the climate continues to change, mosquito-borne illness will spread, especially in temperate areas. The most effective method of disease-preventing mosquito control is the community-wide application of insecticides. Although these chemicals are justifiably believed to be safe, some health agencies allow individuals to opt out of receiving the public health intervention. Unlike other public health interventions that allow opt-outs, we argue that allowing opt-outs may could undermine the efficacy of the intervention result in a net loss of freedom. Therefore, the ability to opt out should be limited in certain circumstances, which we outline in this discussion.