Anyone who’s ever been swarmed by mosquitoes while trying to unwind on a scenic hike or placid beach is keenly aware that even a small pest can have a big impact on a vacation.
But beyond a mere nuisance, mosquitoes can pose a more serious health risk as carriers of diseases like malaria, dengue and zika. Soneva Fushi, a resort on the private Kunfunadhoo Island in the Maldives, has spent years working to eradicate these pests.
The most effective solution they’ve found has led to a dramatic reduction of mosquitoes, and invigorated the island’s tropical plants and animals in the process.
Soneva has partnered with the Germany-based company Biogents, which has developed mosquito traps that rely on environmentally friendly attractants.
“We had been looking at ways to manage mosquitoes without the use of chemicals,” said Arnfinn Oines, Soneva’s director of social and environmental consciousness.
The region has long battled a mosquito problem, made worse during its monsoon season — which runs from May to November.
Several methods they tried, including the use of various traps and working to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds, posed their own challenges.
Another approach to combating the flying pests involved using methods like “hot fogging and mist blowing,” according to Oines, which aren’t exactly precise in targeting just the bugs with insecticides, and can be unpleasant for guests and hosts. Although they tried to use these techniques discreetly, they would inevitably disturb guests, he said.
A Biogents-created mosquito trap at Soneva Fushi – Courtesy Soneva Fushi
What’s more, these techniques are typically only useful for eliminating adult mosquitoes. And after a while, even those develop resistance, rendering the chemicals ineffective, Oines noted.
What doesn’t develop a resistance though, is the bounty of other insects on Kunfunadhoo Island. As a result, there was a noticeable decrease in populations of butterflies, dragonflies, bumblebees and beetles.
Soneva first employed the Biogents system in 2019, using two different types of traps – more than 500 in total positioned around the island. The first type, called the BG-GAT, is a passive trap meant for tiger mosquitoes that have already bitten someone and are searching for a place to lay eggs, according to Oines.
The second type, the BG-Mosquitaire CO2, is meant to attract mosquitoes searching for blood, which it does by using carbon dioxide created through yeast and sugar fermentation, plus lactic acid, which mimics human skin.
“The BG-Mosquitaire CO2 is unique and effective in that it simulates humans by using CO2 and the smell of sweat,” he said. Essentially, the devices both smell and “breathe” like humans, luring and containing the bugs. In the first few weeks, the traps were catching thousands of mosquitoes each day.
Beyond just using the traps, the resort has educated staffers on mosquito ecology. Now, the Soneva team does inspections of the property to identify and reduce things like tarps, fallen coconut shells and anything else that could hold stagnant water, which is necessary for the bugs to breed.
An overwater bungalow at Soneva Fushi – Sandro Bruecklmeier/Courtesy Soneva Fushi
The pest-combatting program has been a success, according to Soneva.
The resort said it recorded a dramatic decrease in the island’s mosquito population by upwards of 98% in the first year.
“We counted the mosquitoes caught on a daily basis — the counting certainly got easier as the numbers were reduced,” says Oines. “We got many positive comments from repeat guests that come back year after year, and thus noticed the difference.”
The Biogents trap system has also proven to be highly effective in long-term use, with no concerns over the bugs developing a resistance to the method. And more good news: since the chemicals were discontinued, the Maldives’ native insects are flourishing again.
“These natural pollinators are now back in abundance, which means there are more flowers, more fruits and more produce,” says Oines, adding that more fruits and insects also means “there are also more birds visiting the shores of Kunfunadhoo and fireflies are once again spotted at night.”
The boost in biodiversity, as well as the eco-friendly and sustainable methods used to get there, make sense considering the resort’s roots. Soneva Fushi was founded by Sonu and Eva Shivdasani in 1995, with a pioneering commitment to environmental sustainability. The couple’s vision made them among the first to introduce initiatives like recycling, energy conservation and waste reduction in the region.
Today, Soneva Fushi remains an example of sustainable luxury in the world of hospitality, and counts a zero-waste philosophy and an innovative coral restoration program among its environmental initiatives, in addition to the harmful chemical-free pest control.
By working with Biogents to use eco-friendly mosquito elimination methods, Soneva aims to be the first mosquito-free island in the Maldives. But they don’t want to be the only ones.
The resort chain has gifted mosquito traps to Parliament in Malé, the country’s capital, and trained staffers on how to use them.
It has also implemented the Biogents system on Soneva Jani, the brand’s resort on the island of Medhufaru in the nearby Noonu Atoll, with similar results. And they’ve installed traps at its new resort development Soneva Secret, slated to open early in 2024, and have recorded zero mosquitoes over several months.
“This makes us hopeful that we will be able to open a mosquito-free resort in the new year,” says Oines. “We have also seen other resorts follow suit. It would be lovely if all of the Maldives could do the same.”
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
