War on Mosquitoes

Rarotonga Also Has Its Anti-Filaria Drive

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, Apr. 22.

A T a meeting in Avarua, Rarotonga, on April 11, war was declared on the mosquito. ' Concerned at the spread of filariasis during recent years, a number of Euro pean residents have offered their services to the medical authorities and adminis tration to assist in any way possible in a mosquito control campaign.

An introductory meeting was attended by the majority of the European residents and leaders of the Maori people. Follow ing an opening speech by the Resident Commissioner, Mr. W. Tailby, Dr. E, P.

Ellison spoke on the so-far-known habits and life-cycles of the filarial worms and carrier-mosquitoes.

During the course of the lecture and the subsequent discussions, a number of assistants were in attendance with micro scopes to demonstrate to members of the audience, specimens of living micro filaria in the blood of volunteers from among them.

An open discussion followed as to the best steps necessary to instil some degree of anti-mosquito consciousness into the Maori people and the most practical means of eliminating mosquitoes from residential areas.

As an incentive to the campaign, two leading European residents have offered cash prizes to be awarded for the best written papers on mosquito control, the winning papers to be read at the next general meeting.

ALL agree that by far the greatest problem is the difficulty of persuad mg the native inhabitants that filariasis is really carried by the mos quito. The Polynesians, like all primitive and recently-primitive peoples, are notoriously careless and fatalistic in re gard to health matters, and human afflictions are more often than not attri buted to supernatural causes. No disease is more closely connected with super stition than filariasis. According to Polynesians this disease is contracted by knowingly or unknowingly stepping on the site of a marae (ancient sacred place). In the islands one may often hear parents warning children to take care not to step on a marae or to touch a stone from a marae for fear of con tracting “eke-eke” or “big-legs ”

Filariasis was (I almost said is) also commonly used as a “curse” against one’s enemy as, for instance, in the widely known form of micturition on the “victim’s” doorstep, pathway, or vegetable plot.

It makes little difference that an islander wears European clothes, imitates European ways, goes to school and attends

church three times on Sundays. Super stition is too deep-rooted to be eradicated m one or two centuries. We have not yet quite lost all our own.

A Polynesian audience may listen to a lecture with the utmost patience and politeness; but listen to them on the way home and you will hear them say: “Those j^azy^popaas’ —they do get the funniest This, then, is the main difficulty to be overcome. A successful mosquito-control campaign requires that the natives them selves appreciate the menace of mos quitoes and co-operate in the removal of all possible breeding places around their own homes.

Adopting the theory that “seeing is be lieving,” it was decided to make a start j series of lecture-demonstrations rtpund the island, in which Dr. Ellison will give a suitable, simplified lecture, while the microscope squad invite the audience to view living filarial worms from their own bloodstream.

The schools and churches, of course, will play a leading part, and full advan tage will be taken to spread the campaign through existing organisations such as the Child Welfare Association, Bovs’

Brigade and Girl Guides. These organi sations, generally speaking, embrace the most intelligent and progressive of the growing generation.

A pamphlet in Rarotongan, based on the excellent treatise written by Dr Knott, which is in use in the Fiji mos quito control campaign, will also he printed and distributed among the people. &