Most of 2020 was spent fighting COVID-19.
But mosquito borne viruses were also having a serious impact on the health of Brisbane residents.
In fact, in 2020, there were more cases of mosquito borne diseases across Greater Brisbane than COVID-19 cases across the entire state of Queensland.
723 cases of Ross River Virus (RRV) were recorded in Brisbane’s north last year – that’s two and a half times more cases than the year before.
On Brisbane’s southside, 470 people caught the virus.
That’s compared with just 221 in 2019.
With cases more than doubling across Brisbane, serious questions have been raised – is the current Lord Mayor and his LNP administration doing enough to keep mosquito populations down?
The community and Labor opposition councillors think not.
Opposition Leader Jared Cassidy says the number of mosquito control officers employed by council hasn’t changed in at least the last five years.
“If this Lord Mayor was serious about the health and safety of Brisbane residents, he would employ more officers to help control mosquito populations,” Cr Cassidy said.
“We have seen no response to this surge in case numbers and the concerns of the community are being ignored.”
To help fight for more action, Cr Cassidy has started an online petition.
So far it’s reached more than 800 signatures.
To check out the petition – CLICK HERE.
