Mauritius hunts mosquitoes to prevent malaria’s return
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Suraj Russeeawon’s team at the Mauritius Ministry of Health systematically searches streets across the island nation to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds.
Each workday, they visit homes and properties, inspecting any standing water where mosquitoes could lay eggs. They use kitchen ladles to carefully examine puddles, rainwater tanks, plant containers, and even swimming pools for larvae. The team destroys any identified breeding sites, overturning containers to kill the larvae inside.
They target all mosquito larvae, not just those of Anopheles arabiensis, a species that carries malaria and remains present in Mauritius. This broad approach aims to reduce the risk of other mosquito-borne diseases like chikungunya and dengue fever as well. Mauritius is proactively working to prevent a resurgence of malaria, a disease the island successfully eliminated decades ago. The island nation faces challenges with this work, including many unoccupied second homes where inspections receive no response.
The Ministry of Health continues its efforts despite these obstacles, recognising that every mosquito represents a potential public health risk.
