Zika carrying mosquito loves our road side litter.

Dear Editor,

Robert Novak and Paul Driessen were correct in topping their list of things “people…need to do…now” to stop the spread of mosquito borne diseases with their suggestion we “destroy mosquito-producing sites” (It’s Not Just the Zika Bug, Washington Times 4-4-16).   Unfortunately they failed to mention two of the most obvious and impactful actions everyone can take for accomplishing this.   First, as with the doctors Hippocratic Oath, ‘Do no harm’.  Just stop littering!   Second, clean up the existing road side litter ASAP before the breeding season begins.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the Zika, Dengue fever, Yellow Fever, and Chikungunya viruses need only the smallest amount of standing water to reproduce.  Our advantage is that they rarely fly “further than 80 feet from where they hatch”.   The mosquito’s key advantage is our littered road sides providing multiple breading containers (cans, bottles, plastic bags, tire fragments and anything else that can hold water) every 10 feet or less.  Our discarded trash provides the perfect transmission belt to nearly every farm and neighborhood in our nation.

Next time anyone is feeling the urge to toss something out a vehicle window they need to remember that such an simple act can cost them more than a fine.  It is increasingly likely to come back and bite them (and thousands of other people) with a painful, debilitating or deadly disease.  The economic cost will be astronomical.

Check with your local government and adopt a road to keep trash free.  The exercise will do you good.