Via Cairns.com.au, a January 8 report: Dengue mozzies on the warpath in Cairns. Excerpt:
Cairns is at the mercy of a little pest.
Healthy populations of the Aedes aegypti mosquito have increased the likelihood that the city's dengue fever toll will rise quickly over the next few weeks.
Five new cases were confirmed over the weekend at Whitfield, the source of the latest outbreak, taking the number of confirmed cases to 12.
Two more suspected cases in Mt Sheridan, where five people have already been struck down, are pending laboratory results but authorities believe several people could unknowingly have a mild dose of the disease.
"The lethargy might not be so bad that they can't carry on with their normal days, while some people are so unwell they can't get out of bed," Queensland Health public physician Dr Richard Gair said.
Since the initial outbreak at Mt Sheridan last month, officers from the Dengue Action Response Team have been spraying properties in an effort to contain the virus.
Dr Gair said they had reported residents refusing to let them on site to spray.
"It's for everybody's benefit, not just the individual's," he said. "It's the most effective measure, killing the mosquitoes that carry dengue.
"The insecticide used has very little toxicity to humans. It's not harmful."
