General News
14 December, 2025
Call the doctor: Why reducing mosquito breeding is key to the community's health
Horsham GP, Dr Felix Ritson, talks about mosquitoes in this fortnight's column, which is timely due to the recent discovery of Japanese Encephalitis in the Wimmera by HRCC. He alerts us to the danger of what we may think is the humble mosquito, but is the deadliest animal on the planet, he says in this interesting column.
One of the benefits of living in Australia is our relatively low burden of disease spread by mosquitoes. In much of the world, mosquitoes are considered dangerous.
In fact, mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet.
Billions of people face the threat of serious diseases like Cerebral Malaria, Dengue fever, and Yellow fever.
Globally, diseases spread by mosquitoes are becoming increasingly common and expanding to new regions.
This is occurring primarily due to various species of mosquitoes being introduced to new countries, along with the diseases they carry.
Increasing temperatures and rainfall are also creating better habitats for mosquitoes.
Recently, a virus known as Japanese Encephalitis was found in a mosquito near Horsham.
Whilst the vast majority of people who are infected by this virus have very mild symptoms or none at all, it can cause very serious illness and even be fatal.
This is no cause for alarm, but it is worth attention.
Whilst there exist vaccines for Japanese Encephalitis, currently there is a very limited supply.
This infection joins the likes of Ross River Virus, Barmah Forest Virus, and Murray Valley Encephalitis that have all been found in the Wimmera.
Thankfully, there is plenty we can do both individually and as a community to prevent infection.
The more you get bitten by mosquitoes, the more likely you are to become infected; as such, protecting yourself from mosquitoes is highly effective at preventing disease.
The use of mosquito nets is key; people can be bitten by these pesky insects without being woken up.
If you get mosquitoes in your home, make sure you have a mosquito net that covers your bed and doesn't have any tears in it.
Wearing clothes that cover your arms and legs will also help ward off mosquitoes.
The use of chemical deterrents, either applied to the skin or set up in static locations are powerful measure to keep mosquitoes away.
Fixing windows with fly screens will also help keep your home mosquito-free.
The other side of the coin is reducing the number of mosquitoes in the area.
These insects breed rapidly and do so in pools of still water.
Reducing the number of breeding grounds for mosquitoes will significantly reduce the number of mosquitoes in an area.
Overseas countries that have had to deal with this issue for a long time are excellent at working together as a community to stop the spread of mosquitoes.
Every community member has a responsibility to make sure they don't have stagnant water on their property.
Even a shallow collection of water in a tin can or puddle under the house can breed hundreds, if not thousands of mosquitoes, surprisingly quickly.
Consider this, the used tire trade is considered to be the primary driver of mosquito-borne diseases spreading around the world.
The small amount of water that collects in used tires can have huge consequences.
If you have a body of water that cannot be drained, like rainwater tanks, dams, and ponds, these can be treated to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in them.
A small amount of oil can create a film on the surface of the water that will prevent breeding.
Call your local council if you need support with managing collections of water or if you find an area with a significant amount of mosquito activity.
As experience from across the planet has shown, one of the best ways to prevent illness from mosquito-borne diseases is to work together to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the first place.
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