Montserrat’s health minister has urged residents to practise good hygiene to prevent health problems amid an increase in the island’s fly population.
On Monday, 16 December, Ingrid Buffonge told ZJB Radio that the influx of insects has been “horrific in some areas” over the past few weeks.
She said the island has experienced episodes like this before, but told listeners that she is not aware of any local studies that have looked into the cause.
The flies can cause cases of conjunctivitis and gastrointestinal infections, the health minister warned, and added that food handlers should be “very, very careful” to prevent contamination.
“You know, after the pandemic ended, people forgot about social distancing and forgot about all of the things to do with COVID-19 and hygiene,” she said.
“So I think for right now, let us be very careful in terms of where we’re buying our food.
“Food handlers – be careful about how you are providing it, how you’re displaying it, how you’re serving it, please.
“People, wash your hands. Be very, very careful. The last thing we need is an increase in gastrointestinal diseases.”
Buffonge added that the public needs to make sure they are disposing of rubbish properly, so the flies do not have a place to lay their eggs.
‘Troubling’ life cycle
Buffonge said the life cycle of a fly is “troubling”.
“Once a fly lays an egg, within 24 hours a larvae hatches, and it goes through its different stages and you can have an adult fly within a week, or just over a week,” she explained.
“One single female fly can produce 100 or 150 eggs in one day, and will produce six batches of eggs in its lifetime, which is about 20 or 30 days.
“So within one month, one female fly can actually produce well over 500 flies. For every fly you see, if it’s a female fly, you’re in trouble.”
The health minister said it is difficult to say where the problem started and to what extent it is a seasonal issue, but said there have been more flies at the dump site than usual.
“Obviously, flies love warmth and moisture and garbage. I think we need to, as we go through the next few months, put more focus on what’s happening at the dump site,” she said.
The government will make sure it is covering rubbish to reduce the risk of flies laying their eggs in the material that is exposed, the minister told listeners.
However, “burning up the dump site is not an option because it makes little bits of material airborne, which will have its own problems,” she said.
Buffonge said “a lot” of spraying has taken place, but if areas are missed, more flies will appear, and they will continue to lay their eggs.
“We’re going to get some extra help in trying to get rid of the problem. I’ve been told things are getting better, but obviously it’s been a big, big concern for people. Flies are nasty,” she said.
