Gold Coast Mosquito Plague: Division One candidate Renee Clarke launches control petition

A Gold Coast election candidate has launched a petition to see more treatment against mosquitoes after her one-year-old daughter came home covered in bites. WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT

A GOLD Coast election candidate is calling for urgent action to zap swarms of mosquitoes after her toddler daughter ended up covered in bites.

Division 1 candidate Renee Clarke has launched a petition on Facebook after one-year-old Charlotte, who is allergic to mosquitoes, was bitten on her arms, legs, back and chest despite clothes and insect repellent.

“It’s part of your everyday life that you can’t go out after 5pm with your children (because of mosquitoes),” Ms Clarke said.

Charlotte is allergic to mosquitoes. Photo: Supplied

The 22-month-old was covered in bites. Picture: Jerad Williams

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“You have to make sure you’re completely covered in insect repellent to go from your house to your car.

“My daughter has an allergy and that’s something that kids tend to grow out of, but seeing the amount of people whose kids have the same problem I think it should be part of council responsibility to deal with it.

“It’s becoming more than just an annoyance.”

The city council revealed it would be spraying Coomera and Coomera Waters early Friday to target mosquitoes and midges.

Other parents shared photos of their children’s bites. Photo: Facebook

The council also appealed to residents to check their yards after rain or after watering gardens to ensure there were no receptacles holding water that would allow mosquitoes to breed.

Ms Clarke said the petition was part of a push to get more resources devoted to dealing with mosquitoes in hard-hit areas like the northern suburbs.

“There are three different treatment options, it’s not just spraying,” she said.

“There’s treating the water to kill the larvae and the fogging as well, which basically kills the mosquitoes at all forms of life.”

Parents shared photos of their own children’s bites, with some saying they “cannot even play outside”.

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One child’s mosquito bite became infected. Photo: Facebook

Many children were covered in bites. Photo: Facebook

“My son has been in and out of hospital since early January with severe infections from mozzie bites,” wrote one mum.

“He has had so many different antibiotics, he has had to be sedated while they went in to clean the infection out of his muscle, and has had to have daily wound dressings.”

A disease expert has warned conditions have been ripe for a devastating outbreak of the mosquito-borne Ross River virus, five years after almost 700 people on the Gold Coast contracted the debilitating disease.

A city council spokeswoman confirmed an increase in mosquito numbers due to recent rain, which provided “ideal conditions” for breeding.

“The city has received a number of complaints and in addition to its regular mosquito maintenance program, has scheduled additional fogging in response,” she said.

“The city’s pest management team has been undertaking aerial and ground treatments in an effort to reduce numbers, which is starting to show good results.

Renee Clarke has now launched a petition to see further spraying methods. Picture: Jerad Williams

“Residents can help by checking around their yards for water following rain or (after) watering plants and gardens, and emptying all containers that can hold water.

“Some of the less obvious places to look include in the water reservoir of self-watering pots, in bromeliad plants and on top of rainwater tanks.

“Some areas along the Gold Coast are being affected by mosquitoes that breed in containers around homes, so it is important that residents prevent mosquito breeding in their yards.

“We encourage residents and visitors to protect themselves from mosquitoes by using insect repellent or other means, particularly when outdoors early in the morning and in the evening.”