It’s that time of year again when thongs and singlets come out and sunscreen and aerogard go on.
Summer is upon us and this year it’s set to be wet with the Bureau of Metrology declaring La Nina.
More rain events could potentially mean more mosquito hatchings and already this year we’re seeing record cases of mosquito-borne diseases in Brisbane.
In fact, this year there have been more cases of Mosquito-borne diseases in Brisbane, than covid-19 across Queensland.
Queensland Health statistics show there have been 711 cases of Ross River Virus (RRV) in Brisbane’s north so far this year.
That’s compared with just 280 for the whole of 2019.
In Brisbane’s south, RRV cases have more than doubled from 221 in 2019, to 462 this year.
Complaints made to Council about mosquitos are also on the rise.
In 2018 residents made 267 complaints about mozzies, last year 448 calls were received and so far this year 483 complaints have been made.
In response to the hike in numbers, Council Opposition Leader Jared Cassidy has launched a summer campaign against mosquitos.
He’s encouraging residents to voice their concerns and sign a petition calling for the Lord Mayor to boost resources and staffing numbers for the mosquito control team.
“Council’s mosquito control team has some of the most hard-working officers in Council but they need more support from this Lord Mayor,” Cr Cassidy said.
“The team only consists of 17 officers and that hasn’t changed in at least 5 years,”
“They need more boots on the ground and more resources to help them do their job and cover more ground when spraying.”
The petition has already received hundreds of signatures and comments.
“I live in Brighton and contracted Ross River Virus in April 2020. Due to the Council’s inability to control mosquitos in the area, I was unwell for 3 months.” wrote one resident.
Another wrote “having suffered from Barmah Forest Virus, I can tell you it is a complete and utter case of mindful negligence if they allow this mozzie issue to go unchecked.”
To sign the petition click HERE.
Councilor Jared Cassidy said once the petition receives enough signatures he will present it to Council for consideration.
