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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/31/millions-of-australians-at-risk-of-being-stung-by-fire-ants-each-year-experts-warn>
"Fire ants could sting 8.6 million Australians a year if they were to become
endemic – but a pathogenic fungus and pesticide-loaded drones might help avert
that scenario, according to submissions posed to the federal government’s fire
ants inquiry.
Submissions to the Senate inquiry into red imported fire ants (Rifa) in
Australia closed on Monday, just days after the latest in a string of fire ant
detections beyond south-east Queensland, where an infestation of the invasive
pest is ongoing.
Last week a single fire ant was found in an Australia Post package of plant
material sent to Tasmania from Queensland. The non-reproductive female was
detected by Biosecurity Tasmania as part of “business-as-usual surveillance
operations at mail centres across the state”.
In late January a fire ant nest was found in Wardell in northern New South
Wales, while five nests were discovered in Murwillumbah, 13km south of the
Queensland border, in November. It was the first time fire ants had crossed the
Queensland border into NSW since the infestation began in 2001.
The fire ants’ march south has prompted a range of government, agricultural,
health and research bodies and individuals to use the inquiry to call for
resources and education to help stamp out the pest. Fire ant stings can cause
anaphylaxis and death in humans. They can also damage electrical and
agricultural equipment, kill native plants and damage ecosystems beyond repair.
In a joint submission to the rural and regional affairs and transport
references committee, the National Allergy Centre of Excellence and Allergy and
Anaphylaxis Australia predicted that if fire ants were to become endemic, a
quarter of the 8.6 million Australians who would be stung by fire ants each
year would develop an allergic reaction, with 174,000 of those requiring
medical attention.
Up to 652,000 people a year would seek medical consultation because of Rifa
stings, they said."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
