Residents warned to be wary of Mosquitoes during Wet Season in Port Moresby

AS Port Moresby City continues to experience wet weather, residents are being warned to keep the front and back yards of their homes clean to minimise mosquito breeding.

Chief Health Surveyor, Isowa More said malaria is related to wet weather and the current weather situation is not helping as mosquitoes breed immediately after the rain stopped.

He said the Vector Control Unit, under NCDC Health division, has just completed the last fogging operation recently spraying chemical in the streets into the residential yards to kill the adult mosquitoes that cause malaria.

However, he said the operation was done before the wet weather kicked off, adding they planned to carry out another fogging operation soon pending the availability of funds.

“We will need funds to procure chemicals to carry out another fogging operation as malaria is related to wet weather,” he said.

Meanwhile, More said whilst the division is waiting for the availability of funds to carry out the first fogging operation for the year, he urged the city residents to keep their residential yards clean to minimise mosquitoes breeding within their homes.

He said: “Try to keep the front and back yards of your homes clean and free of empty cans and bottles that could be used as breeding grounds for mosquitoes.”

In settlement areas, sanitation is always an issue, so mosquito breeding will be high.
Therefore, he urged the settlers to ensure that they sleep under mosquito nets to protect themselves from malaria.

He also pointed out that the rain has resulted in tall grass growing everywhere which, he said is also a high spot for mosquito breeding and also urged everyone to cut them down.

The chief health surveyor reiterated that the most effective and cheap way of avoiding mosquito breeding is keep on maintaining a clean home with good short lawn.

“Once the rain stops, mosquitoes are quick to lay eggs and change to pupa, then to adult mosquitoes within weeks, so it is always important to keep a clean home at all times,” he said.

More said these are small steps, but they go a long way in minimising mosquito breeding at homes and protecting everyone from malaria.