NEWS DESK
Backyards at front of Buruli fight Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is looking to recruit 500 households in Blairgowrie and Rye as part of a research study into the Buruli ulcer. The study involving mosquito surveillance, trapping and control activities is being run with advice from public health physicians, medical entomologists, council staff and research partners from the Doherty Institute. The aim is to disrupt the transmission of the ulcer and lead to evidence-based policies and guidelines to help stop its spread. About 250 households will become intervention zones with 10 Gravitraps placed strategically and inspected regularly. The other 250 houses will be control zones where no activities will occur. By comparing mosquito numbers in the two zones the study team will be able to gauge the effectiveness of the intervention as they seek to gain the upper hand in beating the ulcer. The team will begin knocking on doors to recruit households throughout Blairgowrie and Rye this Saturday (27 February). As part of the study, Ovitraps will also be placed on public land along fence lines so researchers can count and analyse mosquito eggs non-intrusively. Blairgowrie and Rye were chosen for targeted mosquito control because they are considered high-risk areas. Buruli ulcer cases have increased significantly in recent years, particularly on the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas, with possums and mosquitoes believed to be carriers of the causative bacteria.
This latest ulcer fight addresses community concerns raised two years ago around the use of spraying – or fogging – to control mosquitoes. (“No to fogging in ‘mossie’ fight” The News 26/8/19). It does not involve spraying or pose any risk to bees, wildlife, or any other insects, the shire says. Education campaigns targeting homeowners will aim to ensure they are not unintentionally creating breeding habitats for mosquitos. “We heard the community’s concerns in 2019 and hope this new method will not only keep our environment safe but will continue the progress in protecting the peninsula from the Buruli ulcer,” the mayor Cr Despi O’Connor said. Professor Tim Stinear, of the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne said the “world-leading research” was an opportunity to understand and control the spread of Buruli. “The lessons learned from this study will inform Buruli ulcer control efforts worldwide,” he said. The Gravitrap is a hay infused cylindrical trap with a sticky inner surface that reduces mosquito numbers around homes. They are non-toxic and used all over the world. As well, non-toxic mosquito-specific larvicides will be placed in backyard breeding sites, such as rainwater tanks, septic tanks, ponds, and bird baths. They are not toxic to humans or animals. The Doherty Institute will be running an online information session 6-7pm, Thursday 25 February. To learn more about the project or about the Buruli ulcer visit www2.health.vic.gov.au/beatingburuli To participate in the trial email Dr Peter Mee at peter.mee@unimelb.edu.au or sign up at forms. gle/exeTCvWZAYwhng2F9
Throw-aways a deadly diet for birds CELIA Furt has been “horrified” by the cast-offs being thrown to seagulls at Hastings. While on one of her regular trips “to say hi to the pelicans” near the boat ramp, Ms Furt’s attention was drawn to a group of seagulls feeding in the grass. She discovered they were eating loaves of mouldy bread. “People still think that feeding seagulls, pigeons and other birds, is good for them. They think that they are feeding them but, instead, they are killing them,” Ms Furt said. “If they want to feed birds, they must only feed them what's right for them, what they can digest and it’s not human food waste.
Human bread is poison to any bird, as they cannot digest it, it stays in their throats and crops and they die horribly.” Ms Furt filled two rubbish bags with the 10 mouldy loaves. A photographer, Ms Furt also took pictures of the seagulls and crows “fighting for a hamburger cover” outside the towns McDonalds outlet. Again, she felt compelled to pick up the rubbish that was not suitable food for birds. Ms Furt hopes her pictures and story will make people realise “that feeding the birds with human food is bad for them … we need to be a lot more careful about what we do with rubbish”. Keith Platt
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Western Port News
24 February 2021
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