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SCMP Reporter

Ovitrap index drops 10 percentage points, nearing target level, but five districts still highly exposed to dengue

Hong Kong has the ability to combat its mosquito problem, a government consultant insisted yesterday, as the density of the disease-carrying insects recorded a significant drop on last month.

But the index in five highly populated districts - Shamshuipo, Diamond Hill, Tai Wai, Yuen Kong and Lai King - remained high.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced that its ovitrap index - which tracks the density of mosquitoes - dropped from an average of 31.6 per cent in May to 22 per cent last month.

Although this is a significant improvement, it is still above the target index of 20 per cent.

Ho Yuk-yin,  a consultant for the department, said their high indices reflected poor anti-mosquito management.

The government has been publishing the mosquito index since 2000 to warn people of the risk of catching dengue fever as conditions change.

Last month's index of 31.6 was  one of the highest since monitoring began.

'Last summer Hong Kong faired extremely well, with the highest ovitrap index reaching only 20.9 per cent,' Dr Ho said.

The ovitrap catches the Aedes albopictus mosquito, which carries dengue.

In May, 10 districts   had ovitrap indices of more than 40 per cent, but that figure dropped to five last month.

In Shamshuipo, the ovitrap index rose from 13.5 percentage points in May to 43.1 per cent.

A Tsz Wan Shan resident said: 'The government has done a very good job in keeping our district clean, but mosquitoes are naturally occurring, you can never completely get rid of them.'

The government hygiene consultant said   teams would monitor anti-mosquito efforts  in 18 districts so people would be more aware of the seriousness of the issue.

'The significance of this index drop is that it shows us that we at least have the ability to combat this mosquito problem,' Dr Ho said.

But he said that the public, and not just the government, had a responsibility. 'Mosquitoes don't just breed in public areas, they can breed inside flats as well.'

Mosquitoes thrive in construction sites, blocked sewers, stagnant water around pots and air conditioners, and dense plant gardens.

But Celia Tam Yuet-ping, a Wong Tai Sin  district councillor, said: 'The government should provide more facilities to control the hillsides, which are infested with mosquitoes.'

The drop in the index comes after Hong Kong recorded three cases recently of the deadly Japanese encephalitis, which is carried by the Culex mosquito.

In Kau Wa Keng San Tsuen, a 29-year-old Indonesian domestic helper fell ill and died on June 7. A resident of Palms Springs in Yuen Long fell ill and is in serious condition  in Eastern Hospital, while  a 50-year-old man was found wandering in a delusional state at Lei Cheng Uk Estate in Shamshuipo. He is in stable  condition in Caritas Medical Centre.



Mosquito-control measures pay off