Topic: Aedes aegypti
Cayman stays vigilant as mosquito-borne diseases surge abroad
Although mosquito-borne diseases remain a global threat, Cayman has so far been spared from local outbreaks, though the Mosquito Research and Control Unit is maintaining control operations and urging residents to take precautions.
MRCU swats back at Cayman’s mosquitoes
The Mosquito Research and Control Unit is claiming success over Cayman's mosquito population, saying insect numbers have been vastly reduced through its ongoing preventative methods.
Residents report ill effects of guava-scented mosquito spray
A fruity scent that has recently emerged in neighbourhoods around Cayman is from the Mosquito Control and Research Unit’s fogging machines as they respond to reports of dengue.
Cayman fights dengue threat with fire and flights
The smell of freshly burnt swamp grass being carried off by the evening breeze along Eastern Avenue is swiftly followed by the sight of a thin haze of grey smoke rising on the horizon – a backyard fire has been lit as residents try to chase away potent dengue infested mosquitos.
Perfect storm for mosquito breeding after Ian’s passage
Mosquito Research and Control Unit staff are deploying extra preventative and suppressive techniques to try to thwart a potential increase in mosquitoes following the passage of Hurricane Ian.
Backyard mosquito inspections under way
Inspectors from the Mosquito Research and Control Unit recently began residential inspections to help eliminate breeding opportunities for the disease carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Concern over national rollout of genetically modified mosquito project
Opponents of the use of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Cayman Islands say an application to use the technique island wide is “premature.”
Little Cayman students show off recent projects
Talk about getting a “one-on -one” education … it’s possible these days in Little Cayman. According to the Cayman Islands Department of Education, primary age students at the Little Cayman Education Services facility, as it is officially known, follow the full national curriculum under the guidance of a full-time teacher and teaching assistant.
Cayman records 20th local Zika case
Public health officials say they have confirmed 20 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus, the mosquito-borne illness that can cause severe birth defects when pregnant women contract the disease.
Florida Keys voters reject, and approve, GM mosquitoes
In dueling votes over a proposed trial of Oxitec’s genetically modified mosquitoes, voters across one Florida county supported releasing the insects, while voters in the town earmarked for the project rejected holding the trial there. Key Haven voted overwhelmingly Tuesday against the proposal, but voters in Monroe County supported holding the trial.
UPDATED: Pregnant woman among Cayman’s new Zika cases
Cayman now has 17 confirmed locally transmitted cases of Zika, including one pregnant woman, according to public health officials. All of the confirmed local cases are in George Town. The total number of cases confirmed with laboratory results, including those suspected to have come from overseas travel, is now 26.
A guide to Cayman’s public enemy No. 1: mosquitoes
The disease, disruption and dismay they cause, however, is world-class, beyond all proportion to their size. This is what you need to know about the seven genuses of mosquito that call the Cayman Islands home.
Two more Zika cases confirmed in George Town
Two more people, both of George Town, have tested positive for the Zika virus, according to the Public Health Department. There are now five confirmed cases of Zika in the Cayman Islands, all of which have been in George Town.
Cayman reports first local Zika case
The Public Health Department late Monday confirmed the first locally transmitted case of Zika in the Cayman Islands. Previously, there had been seven documented cases that were contracted outside of Cayman, but public health officials confirmed that a man in George Town is the first person confirmed to became infected with Zika in the islands.
Thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes released
Thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes were released in West Bay on Thursday, kicking off what the Mosquito Research and Control Unit and collaborator Oxitec call their “Friendly Aedes aegypti project.”
Judge explains mosquito project decision
When lawyers of opponents to the genetically modified mosquito project filed an application for a stay and judicial review on July 13 – a review that could have ended the project – Justice Ingrid Mangatal suddenly had more than 598 pages worth of evidence and documents to review.
Inside the mosquito ‘factory’
Ahead of the release of genetically modified mosquitoes in West Bay, scheduled to begin Thursday, the Mosquito Research and Control Unit and U.K. biotech firm Oxitec invited members of the media for an inside look of the new lab, where half a million male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are being bred.
