With the number of confirmed dengue fever cases in north Queensland now thought to be in excess of 200, experts are concerned that the mosquitoes responsible for spreading the disease may have developed a resistance to pesticides.
Dr. Scott Ritchie from the Tropical Health Unit in Cairns says alternative pesticides to address is the state's worst dengue outbreak since before World War II, are now being explored, but concern remains that some residents in the affected areas still do not recognise the public health risk associated with neglecting potential mosquito breeding grounds on their properties.
According to Dr. Ritchie dengue mosquitoes are very clever at finding water in a wide variety of containers, are secretive, indoor, daytime biters, which rest in dark areas under furniture and in dark corners, and even one or two mosquitoes in a house are enough to maintain the transmission cycle.
Dr. Ritchie says to date, 13 suburbs in Cairns have now been affected and as many as 190 dengue fever cases have been confirmed - in Townsville 20 people have been infected.
A study published in the current issue of the British Ecological Society's journal Functional Ecology raises fears as it says that the revival in popularity of rainwater tanks in Australian back yards could encourage the dengue mosquito to areas as far south as Sydney.
Dr. Michael Kearney of the University of Melbourne, says due to climate change, the backyard rainwater tank is making a come-back and rainwater tanks and smaller storage tubs such as modified wheelie bins are potential breeding sites for the Aedes aegypti mosquito which carries the disease.