This Bites: Australia's Homeless Face a Mosquito Plague

by Josie Raymond · 2010-10-25 09:08:00 UTC
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Australians apparently call mosquitoes "mozzies." Too bad a cute name isn't enough to make them any less bothersome.

Darwin, Australia in the Northern Territory is currently seeing the worst mosquito plague since officials started keeping records in 1979. Local homeless people are, of course, bearing the brunt of the bites.

This is just one more of the myriad risks that come with living outdoors. We've written about the prevalence of lice, the dearth of fresh drinking water and the general health risks that come with sleeping in the open air. For homeless people who spend most of their time outdoors or sleep outdoors, the threats just keep coming.

The fear is that these mosquito bites will compound existing health issues for people living in camps. Local non-profits are stepping in with insect repellent and other tools to drive away the bugs, but anyone who has ever itched through the night knows there's no 100 percent effective way to avoid them. Experts expect to see an uptick in the number of cases of Ross River fever, an infectious and nasty condition carried by mosquitoes that, luckily, isn't a threat in America.

Living outdoors can be hazardous to one's health (as homelessness is in general) but often, homeless people have no choice due to full shelters. In some cases, they may feel that they have no choice. Fellow blogger SlumJack Homeless has explained why someone might choose living outdoors rather than entering a shelter. Reasons include the inability to protect one's stuff (and pets) and curfews that keep people from being productive.

Sometimes the choice is as impossible as deciding whether you'd prefer to be afflicted with bedbugs or mosquitoes. How can we ask people to choose?

Photo credit: James Jordan

Josie Raymond is a Change.org editor who has reported from the streets of the South Bronx, written for several magazines that folded (not her fault) and fixed thousands of typos.
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