Frequently asked questions about the Debug Innisfailfield studies
What is involved in a field study? The study compared, through regular monitoring, areas where sterile male mosquitoes were released – release sites – to similar areas also being monitored, where they weren’t – control sites. The study ran from November 2017 to June 2018.
Where did you release the sterile male mosquitoes ? Our release sites were the communities of Mourilyan, South Johnstone, and Goondi Bend.
How did you engage the community with this project? We engaged with the community in a number of ways, recognising that the diversity of the community required different communication approaches. Face-to-face discussion was a vital part of our approach as was guidance from community members through a Project Advisory Group. We aimed to be approachable and accessible and encouraged all residents and business owners to contact us if they had any concerns about the study. We informed residents and business owners in the release areas that the releases were about to begin.
Why Innisfail? The Cassowary Coast area was the perfect location for the study as it has the ideal rainfall and climate conditions conducive to abundant numbers of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Innisfail has in previous years experienced local transmission of the dengue virus and is close to JCU’s mosquito research facility in Cairns.
