Public urged to help with mosquito eradication

The public health service wing of the health ministry has again urged the public to do whatever they can to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds.

Acting head of the public health services Irodotos Irodotou said that despite their efforts it appears it has not been enough to keep the mosquito population in control, with more work required by the municipalities and the public.

“We can’t be everywhere,” he said, adding that they bolstered their efforts after the appearance of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in Larnaca and Limassol.

He explained that those efforts appeared to have paid off, with the focus now on Nicosia – with complaints centred on Kaimakli and Lakatamia.

Irodotou said that personnel from the public health service will now investigate Mangli lake in Lakatamia but reiterated that the public also has a major role to play in reducing the mosquito population.

He further explained that the results from the pilot sterilisation programme of mosquitos will be analysed by the end of the year, with eggs sent abroad for testing.

That, he said, includes monitoring a property for any items that may collect water such as pots – even old cans – as these can prove enough for mosquitos to reproduce.