Dawn Street Rye
Department Health and Human Services Letter to Residents
Mosquito Control Activities Scheduled March 19 – No ‘Opt-out’ offered to residents
Spraying can be conducted in several ways but is most commonly applied by hand using a hose that is connected to either a backpack or a container in a vehicle.
Information from Friends of the Earth
Bifenthrin Insecticide – Used against a variety of insects including termites. Most likely enters waterways as a result of termite treatment.
Pesticide Movement Rating: Extremely Low. Soil Half Life: 26 days. Water Solubility: 0.1. Koc: 240000. (The lower the Koc, the less sorption potential and the higher risk of it washing off a site).
Human Health: Possible carcinogen, developmental/reproductive toxin, suspected
endocrine disruptor.
Ecological Information: Very highly toxic to fish, insects and zooplankton.
Beating Burili Project in Victoria Project
https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/infectious-diseases/beating-buruli
- Cases of Buruli ulcer have increased significantly in Victoria in recent years and the disease is spreading into new geographical areas.
- Although it’s understood that the infection is picked up from the environment, it’s not yet known exactly how humans become infected with the bacteria, or where in the environment the bacteria prefer to live. It is not spread person-to-person.
- Research has shown that possums and mosquitoes may be involved in spreading the disease, however there may be other or multiple ways the disease is spread.
- A two-year research project is currently underway through a collaborative partnership between DHHS, the Doherty Institute, Barwon Health, Austin Health, CSIRO, Agriculture Victoria, the University of Melbourne and Mornington Peninsula Shire, to better understand how Buruli ulcer is transmitted and determine effective ways to prevent infections and reduce infections.
- The ‘Beating Buruli in Victoria’ project hopes to actively disrupt disease transmission for the first time and lead to the development of evidence-based policies and guidelines that can help stop the spread of Buruli ulcer around Victoria and even globally.