MRCU adds to mosquito-fighting fleet
One of the two trucks added to the MRCU fleet
(CNS): The Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU) has recently upgraded its fleet of foggers with two new 2016 Toyota Hilux pick-up trucks, as part of their ongoing preventative measures against the threat of the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, vector for the Zika virus.
The addition has increased MRCU’s fleet from 11 to 13, with eight vehicles now in Grand Cayman, four in Cayman Brac and one fogging truck in Little Cayman.
MRCU director Dr William Petrie said of the added resources: “Government agreed to the acquisition of these vehicles, in fact they volunteered the funding because they recognised that we were short of vehicles. They have been fitted-up and they are going be used as transport for the disease prevention officers, but also as fogging trucks.”
Not only are the four-wheel drive, diesel-powered vehicles “fitted for purpose” with fogging machines used in decreasing the population of mosquitoes, but they also each have a built-in computer system. Called the “Monitor 4s”, the new system allows staff to track the location of each vehicle, insecticide volume usage, type of insecticide used, the driver’s name and the amount of acres sprayed. It is also equipped with spray-on and spray-off indicators, which differentiate which area was sprayed from which was not.
“This system gives us the ability to do detailed reporting for inventory and chemical usage, along with confirmation of correct route being sprayed,” explained MRCU senior superintendent John Smith.
“For example if someone calls us and asks, ‘Where was the truck last night?’ or ‘Why was the truck in a particular area?’, we can go back and extract that information. It’s also variable flow, meaning it sprays the required dosage of insecticide regardless of the speed of the truck.”
As an added bonus, MRCU was also able to secure the trucks at less than retail price.
Category: Medical and Health
