Aspect growing mosquito plague Continuing to devastate flood-affected areas in Australia’s eastern states, we are told to take action to ‘avoid being bitten at all costs’.
Wet conditions in NSW and Victoria made an excellent breeding ground as the country struggled to recover from its third consecutive La Nina event.
«With the weather being very rainy for the third year in a row, we’re finally seeing mosquitoes start to catch us,» Veronique Paris, a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, told Yahoo News Australia. «This isn’t really all that surprising because mosquitoes rely on water for their reproduction, so mosquitoes benefit as more water is added to the environment and all that flooding.»
University of Melbourne researchers shared a prominent photo on the internet. increase in mosquito numbers.
«When we looked at a corridor in our building, we found around 20 mosquitoes hanging at the entrance,» they said.
Pointing to researchers at the University of Sydney who have «possibly doubled» mozzies in NSW, Ms Paris says she has been flooded with worried locals in Melbourne. “I have had almost everyone I know contact me asking what happened, what can I do about it, is this normal? Is it just me, what should we do and worry about them? ”she said. «So that’s definitely something we haven’t seen in previous years.»
A call to Australians to ‘be careful’
While mosquito bites are usually nothing more than an inconvenience to victims, Ms. Paris warns they can be very dangerous if bitten. carry a serious illness.
“I understand most people don’t want to be bitten by mosquitoes because they’re annoying. [and] «I know a lot of people who don’t really react don’t think too much about it,» he said. But Diseases such as Japanese encephalitis And we have to be really careful about the Ross River virus and avoid being bitten at all costs, because it can actually turn into a bigger problem than you think, and we really don’t want many people to encounter it. topics.»
Two people in NSW have tragically died after contracting Japanese encephalitis, which is spread by mosquitoes, since it was first reported in the state in late February. 13 more people were affected.
‘Fierce and unpredictable’ weather gives no sign of an end to the epidemic
When asked by Yahoo News Australia how long the mosquito epidemic will last, Ms Paris admitted it was «very, very difficult to say».
«It’s really unpredictable because we don’t know what the weather will do to us,» he explained. «This is a result of climate change where weather events have become much more severe and unpredictable, and a lot of water needs to be removed before the situation changes.»
He urges everyone to act as best he can.
“If you have a garden or even just a balcony, remove anything that can hold water because empty pots, play equipment, drip trays under plants, all of which can breed mosquitoes,” he said. «And if you keep them from breeding near your home, you’re much more protected, even if they do breed in a flooded location.»
It also encourages Australians to wear long sleeves and pants and use plenty of mosquito repellent when out in the wetland. «This is actually quite effective and a really simple way to ensure you reduce your chances of getting bitten,» he said.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroom@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us Facebook, instagram, TikTok and twitter and download the Yahoo News app from: app store or Google Play.
#Mosquito #epidemic #warns #experts #Prevent #bites