Cayman Islands
There seems to be some truth to the story that spending cuts initiated by the Cayman Islands’ government have affected the operations of the Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU), the agency responsible for mosquito control in the British Dependent Territory.
The first programme to be grounded by the cuts in overtime pay is the MRCU’s fleet of airplanes that have made such a big difference in the success of the mosquito control programme in Cayman. The Cayman Islands remains one of the few Caribbean countries where there is no continuous, local Dengue transmission. Only on the very rare occasion has the Aedes aegypti mosquito ever enjoyed a short-lived resurgence in that country. The real threat to the Cayman Islands is actually when travellers return home with Dengue.
With the hands of the MRCU having been somewhat tied by what a Cayman News Service report referred to as insolvency in the Cayman economy, MRCU Research Manager Fraser Allen is calling on residents, especially those in the Capital Georgetown and West Bay, to take up the slack by exercising greater control over Aedes aegypti breeding in and around their premises. This the Research Manager explained would save resources and keep the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue Fever in check.
“The fact that these mosquitoes breed mostly in domestic environments…as a result of human activity gives residents a major role to play in eliminating the insect. By taking simple actions such as emptying water vessels regularly and punching holes in old household items prior to disposal, residents can prevent breeding and reduce the chance of a dengue fever outbreak in the Cayman Islands,” was Allen’s advise to the Cayman public, published in the CMN, September 4, 2009.
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THING YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT MOSQUITOES.... It would take 1,200,000 mosquitoes, each sucking once, to completely drain the average human of blood. (Sources: discovermagazine.com / anannimos.blogspot.com) - Now you know.
Woodshed Environment Coalition 