Government has earmarked $1.8 million for a new aircraft for the Mosquito Research and Control Unit, which monitors and controls the mosquito population in the Cayman Islands.
“As we all know, effective mosquito control is incredibly important to our quality of life,” Health Minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks told Parliament’s Finance Committee.
“MRCU, like so many of our departments, has done an excellent job with the resources that they have. But if we want to keep our country free of epidemic levels of mosquito-borne viruses, then we must invest in a new aircraft.”
Improved effectiveness
She told MPs that the current mosquito-control programme relies on a fleet of two ageing aircraft which have exceeded their optimal service life. Buying a new aircraft, she said, will “significantly improve operational safety, coverage, efficiency and responsiveness during peak mosquito seasons”.
Opposition leader Joey Hew described the announcement as “fantastic news” saying “this was a very difficult year for mosquitoes” and that the issue had been raised with him by his George Town North constituents.
Engine issues
Ebanks-Wilks said that one aircraft was out of action due to engine issues, leading to a request from George Town East MP Roy McTaggart for MCRU to get two new planes “to give them the reliability and redundancy that they desperately need”.
In recent weeks, both aircraft were down, leading the MCRU to rely solely on ground units while the planes underwent maintenance. A statement from the MCRU said that levels remained above normal for the time of year but that it was optimistic that numbers would come down with increased coverage.
It said, “Ground operations are effective for targeted control but cannot cover as much area as aerial treatment. Aircraft missions are the most efficient way to reach large sections of the island affected by Aedes taeniorhynchus – the species responsible for the heavy biting currently being experienced.”
The MCRU currently has a full-time Caymanian pilot and a part-time contract pilot. Ebanks-Wilks said government was hoping to recruit a new pilot at the same time as acquiring the new aircraft.
Caymanian pilots
Deputy opposition leader Kenneth Bryan asked why the Mosquito Research and Control Unit didn’t have two Caymanian pilots, saying, “We gave out a number of scholarships over the last five years [through] the pilot scholarship programme that I started and I’m certain that you can find a young Caymanian who’s coming home. Now, I know it’s kind of short notice for the end of this year but by the end of 2026, we should be able to put a Caymanian in that seat.”
Ebanks-Wilks replied, “We are working collectively as a team to look at succession planning and utilising the workforce database that Minister Myles is working with his team to provide to each of us.”
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