Fiji on the Warpath

"Swot That Mosquito"

THE Government of Fiji has declared war on mosquitoes, and inspectors are being sent round to all private homes to examine flower vases, water containers, pot plants, drains, hollow trees, etc., in which the pests may breed.

This routine is one that is followed in most British tropical territories, particu larly those where malaria is endemic.

The presence of the anopheles mos quito in Fiji may be open to doubt, but whether it is there or not. the fact remains that the Colony has always been free from malaria. However, with the war drawing closer, and traffic to and from malaria-infected areas increasing, these precautions taken by the Govern ment are necessary.

On cursory observation, the age to which Europeans in the Colony live, appears extraordinary. Possibly this is due to a life comparatively free from worry and the pepped-up tempo of mod ern cities— l and a freedom from the malaria with which most tropical coun tries are cursed.

It would be a tragedy if this disease, and its many attendant ones, should be introduced into hitherto healthy Fiji. In any event, from the viewpoint of comfort alone, all sections of the people have been asked to co-operate with the Gov ernment in the anti-mosquito drive.