Mosquito spray trial to combat Buruli ulcer angers Mornington Peninsula residents

“Industrial-strength Mortein” will be sprayed from Rosebud to Portsea the battle against the spread of a flesh-eating ulcer common on the Bellarine Peninsula.

“Industrial-strength­ ­Mortein”will be sprayed from Rosebud to Portsea in the battle against the spread of a flesh-eating ulcer common on the Bellarine Peninsula.

The experiment is an attempt to reduce the mosquito population and test a theory that the insects are partially responsible for a spike in Buruli ulcer cases on the Mornington Peninsula.

But already more than 3500 people have signed a petition against the plan, fearing environmental damage and human health impacts.

Buruli ulcers are painful sores that don’t heal and slowly get bigger, developing into deep ulcers that can require plastic surgery.

The number of Victorian cases of the gruesome condition has almost doubled in recent years, from 182 cases in 2016 to 340 in 2018.

In Greater Geelong, there have been 11 new cases recorded between January 1 and July, compared with 13 cases over the same period last year.

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Of the 340 cases in 2018, almost half (148) were linked to the Mornington Peninsula.

This year there have been 93 cases statewide so far, with 28 linked to the Mornington Peninsula.

Despite the growing problem, people with properties in the area earmarked for the mosquito control program are worried about environmental and health impacts and are angry they weren’t consulted.

A petition against spraying was started on July 15 and garnered more than 4000 signatures in less than a day.

Creator of the petition Simon Mulvaney said the council could “potentially risk residents’ health and decimate the indigenous bee population” by attempting to kill mosquitoes with synthetic pyrethroid neurotoxins — “effectively industrial-strength Mortein”.

The Beating Buruli project, which Barwon Health is a partner in, covers a number of linked studies.

Under the Beating Buruli mosquito control study, research teams will identify 76 small residential areas on the southern peninsula and randomly place them in either ‘intervention’ or ‘control’ groups.

The mosquito control study is being jointly conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Doherty Institute and University of Melbourne in collaboration with Austin Health, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and Agriculture Victoria.

It will be targeting specific areas along the Mornington Peninsula, but is not slated to occur on the Bellarine Peninsula.

The intervention clusters would also be sprayed with synthetic pyrethroid (SP) pesticide every four to six weeks during mosquito breeding season (December 2019 to April 2020).

Fogging (misting of SP) would be conducted up to four times throughout the season, depending on the number of adult mosquitoes identified via surveillance traps.

A report on the plan acknowledged that the use of pesticides carried “a risk of collateral damage to other insect populations”.

The Beating Buruli project covers a number of linked studies.

The mosquito control aspect was approved by the DHHS Human Research Ethics Committee.

Originally published as Mosquito spray trial to combat Buruli ulcer angers Mornington Peninsula residents