Health expert Dr Jay Nicholson says Pilbara residents must take mosquito management into their own hands

People living in the Pilbara must take mosquito management into their own hands despite local government bodies throwing resources to combat them, according to a leading health expert. The Shire of Ashburton on June 13 adopted its new Mosquito Management Plan, which aims to increase the effectiveness of the current practices, such as chemical treatment, wetland control, data collection and a number of education programs. It marked the latest in a string of resources dedicated to controlling the level of the insects in the region, with local shires and the Department of Health collaborating on an integrated approach to the cause. Dr Jay Nicholson, a medical entomologist at the Department of Health, said Pilbara shires already put in huge resources to combat mosquitoes but given the size of some outbreaks, people also needed to use their own precautions. “For the local shires, it can be quite demanding,” he said. “Imagine running into a swamp full of mosquitoes. “When these mosquitoes hatch, we’re not talking about billions, we’re talking about trillions or even higher than that. “Unfortunately it’s not realistic to rely on mosquito management alone to control mosquitoes. “People that live in or visit affected areas need to take their own precautions.” Dr Nicholson said that some mosquito management practices in the Pilbara, such as adult fogging, could also be environmentally damaging. “In the metro areas and the southwest of WA we don’t suggest using adulticides whatsoever,” he said. “That’s because adulticides aren’t target-specific so they don’t go straight out to mosquitoes and actually kill whatever comes in contact with them. “That’s one of the challenges of being up in the Pilbara.” Adult fogging is only used as a last resource to combat mosquito-borne viruses that are endemic to the Pilbara. Shire of Ashburton chief executive Kenn Donohoe said the new Mosquito Management Plan would help the shire better understand when to use chemical controls and how to respond to mosquito complaints. “When we use chemical spray controls they destroy natural insects, or bees, or something else that’s natural to the area,” he said. “We have the decision to spray based on certain criteria and an understanding of how the different types of mosquitoes travel and where their habitats are. “A lot of the time we were just spraying because there was a community complaint, but the Shire of Ashburton is really trying to understand how to find these habitats, how to control the breeding numbers while they’re in the ponds, and lastly when to use the spray controls. “So we’re trying to be environmentally responsible, socially responsible, and making sure the health of our community is maintained.” Recently Pilbara News reported on the City of Karratha’s community survey which highlighted mosquito control as one of the areas that residents believed the Council needed to improve on the most.