Exposed to disease-carrying mosquitoes

The Peninsula suffers from a mosquito infestation every year.

The saltmarsh mosquito (aedes vigilas) breeds in estuarine wetland areas and is a known carrier of Ross River Fever, Barmah Forest virus and Cellulitis infection.

It is present in large numbers throughout the year but from October to April reaches plague proportions.

The issue was first raised in 1979, and has been continually since 2003, by members of the Hardy's Bay Residents' group.

However, little or nothing is being done at present by state or local government bodies to eliminate, or ameliorate, this dangerous pest on the Peninsula.

The residents' group has expressed concern that Central Coast residents are being discriminated against by being exposed to disease risks whilst other areas in this state are not so exposed to the serious health concern posed by the disease-carrying mosquitoes.

They are relieved of such risk by the taking of simple, known, widely-used and effective measures.

There is no reasonable basis for Peninsula residents not to be similarly considered.

The obvious solution is control of the mosquito population by spraying or treating the breeding grounds with bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), a micro-organism that produces chemicals toxic only to mosquitoes larvae.

The chemical is sprayed in the saltwater breeding grounds as and when required and has been used to control the mosquito population at the Olympic Park site at Homebush Bay since 1998.

It is significant that the mosquito reduction programme at Olympic Park is being carried out in an area where "best practice guidelines for coastal saltmarsh" are being implemented, according to the current official fact sheet.

Why cannot a similar solution be implemented on the Central Coast?

Email, 13 Jul 2010 Allan Wilson, Hardy's Bay