Mosquito Disease Management Program

We love getting outdoors while the weather is warm. The problem is - so do the mozzies!

Wherever you travel in Australia, mosquitoes can be a real nuisance. But they can also transmit a range of diseases to humans.

There are simple ways you can Beat the Bite! and protect yourself and your family.

To reduce the chance of contracting a mosquito borne disease:

• Avoid going outside when mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk.
• Wear light coloured, long, loose fitting clothing to protect exposed skin.
• Wear a good quality repellant (repellants containing DEET or picaridin are the most effective).
• Eliminate mosquito breeding sites around homes and properties.   

For more information on mosquito control, visit the Department of Health website, or the Better Health Channel.

Gannawarra Mosquito Management Program

Gannawarra Shire Council is part of the Victorian mosquito management program coordinated by the Department of Health. The objective of the program is to reduce the incidence of mosquito borne illness in Victoria.

The Gannawarra mosquito management program consists of:

• Identifying, recording and monitoring known and potential mosquito breeding sites.
• Applying appropriate control measures where breeding activity is identified. This could be applying a larvacide to the water or site modification to drain stagnant water.
• Trapping adult mosquitoes for species identification and virus isolation.
• Sending blood samples from a sentinel flock of chickens for virus isolation. The chickens provide an early warning sign of the presence of virus that can be transmitted to humans.