The return of the La Niña weather pattern is likely to mean grey nomads will generally be travelling in cooler and wetter conditions … but that’s not the only bad news.
In previous La Niña events, Australia has seen more mosquitoes and it could be the same story this year.
Meteorologists say that northern and eastern Australia are particularly likely to have a wetter spring and summer, and that’s great news for mozzies.
Cameron Webb is a clinical associate professor and principal hospital Scientist at the University of Sydney. He told the ABC that mosquitoes lay their eggs on or around stagnant or still water, and mosquito larvae (or ‘wrigglers’) hatch and spend the next week or so in the water before emerging as adults and buzzing off to look for blood.
“If the water dries up, they die, but the more rain we get, the more opportunities for mosquitoes to multiply,” he said. “Mosquitoes are more than just a nuisance … when they bite, they can transmit viruses or bacteria into our blood to make us sick.”
Dr Webb says the amount of rainfall each summer is also a key predictor for seasonal outbreaks of mosquito-borne disease, especially Ross River virus.
Inland regions of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, especially within the Murray Darling Basin, are particularly prone to ‘boom and bust’ cycles of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease.
While there may not be much we can do to change the weather, we can take steps to reduce the impacts of mosquitoes.
“Wearing insect repellent when outdoors will help reduce your chance of mosquito bites,” Dr Webb told the ABC. “But it’s also important to tip out, cover up, or throw away any water-holding containers.”
While Australia is free of major outbreaks of internationally significant diseases such as dengue or malaria, every year mosquitoes still cause debilitating diseases. These include transmission of Ross River virus, Barmah Forest virus and Murray Valley encephalitis virus.
Besides the health risks, mozzies are of course, a major nuisance to grey nomads seeking to enjoy their evenings outside the van. It’s meant many travellers try different ways to combat the buzzing menace … and not always with happy results.
