The Eliminate Dengue Program is drawing to the end of the release phase for their Cassowary Coast project, with the final mosquitoes due to be set free within the next couple of weeks. The team will transition to a monitoring phase of the local project, continuing to test samples of local Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to see if they contain Wolbachia – natural and safe bacteria that prevent mosquitoes being able to transmitted dengue and other similar diseases to people.
The program has been working in Innisfail, Flying Fish Point, Coconuts, Belvedere, Wangan, Mourilyan, South Johnstone, Mission Beach, Wongaling Beach, South Mission Beach, Bingil Bay, Tully and El Arish over the few months, releasing mosquitoes that carry Wolbachia.
Community Engagement Advisor, Kate Retzki, said that the community has been essential to the success of the work.
“We are so grateful to the community who have welcomed us to the Cassowary Coast. We started work back in March with strong community support, and we’re happy to say that we are seeing the level of Wolbachia increase in the mosquito population,” Ms Retzki said. “We expect to see is this increase continue until almost all the mosquitoes carry the good bacteria, reducing the chance of outbreaks of dengue, Zika and chikungunya.”
Ms Retzki said they will continue to keep the local community informed about the results, but they expect to see similar outcomes to what they’ve seen in their other Australian project sites.
“In areas where we have established Wolbachia in the local mosquito population, there has been no significant evidence of dengue in those areas,” Ms Retzki said.
Despite the progress, the Eliminate Dengue team is reminding locals to continue to protect themselves against mosquito bites as usual.
Locals wanting to find out more can visit www.eliminatedengue.com/australia or call 1800 005 622.
