Saturday, 25 January 2025

 ARPOADOR ROCKS IN IPANEMA - BREEDING GROUND FOR THE DENGUE MOSQUITO


In the middle of a full-blown Dengue epidemic in Brazil, people continue to leave used plastic cups, beverage cans, plastic bags and takeaway food containers in the bushes, cacti and on the rocks at Arpoador.

 A favourite spot for people to gather and watch the sunset, Arpoador is a breeding ground for Aedes Aegypti, the mosquito that transmits Dengue. Rain water collecting in the plastic trash provides a perfect environment for the mosquito to leave its larvae.


Heedless of the consequences, people continue to carelessly leave their trash at Arpoador. Compare the photo taken in 2015 with that taken in  2024. What has changed? When will we ever learn?




The last photo is of the plastic trash and garbage that I collected on just a small part of Arpoador Rocks on 19/01/2025. The litter includes plastic cups, polystyrene food containers, beverage cans and biscuit wrappers. 

The large orange metal skip in the background is provided by the municipal garbage authority for litter collection but is not even half full. All people have to do is throw their trash in it to avoid creating a mosquito larvae breeding ground. The problem is laziness and ignorance. The solution is to dispose of your trash in the proper litter wheelie bins and skips.