Tag: Dr Jim McNelly
Mosquito trouble is the worst for decades
(CNS): Mosquito and Research Control Unit Director Dr Alan Wheeler has blamed the worst mosquito problems for two decades on a number of natural factors, such as COVID-19 and Tropical Storm Grace, but not the management issues that have surrounded the MRCU over the last two years. Wheeler, who was appointed as director in July […]
MRCU leadership inquiry still unresolved
(CNS): Neither the minister responsible for mosquito control nor the deputy governor responsible for the civil service were prepared to offer an update into the current leadership inquiry at the Mosquito Research and Control Unit when they were asked on Wednesday. Answering an MLA’s question in the Legislative Assembly about the status of the director […]
MRCU methods revert but no news on inquiry
(CNS): Minister Dwayne Seymour has made no further comment about complaints made by staff at the Mosquito Research and Control Unit that the director was undermining the work of the critical department. But the minister responsible for the MRCU has revealed that efforts to combat the pest have reverted to tried and tested methods. Seymour […]
Complaints about MRCU boss under investigation
(CNS): Complaints by staff of the Mosquito Research and Control Unit about the director, Dr Jim McNelly, are under investigation, Health Minister Dwayne Seymour and Acting Chief Officer Nellie Pouchie have confirmed. The complaints were set out in a letter to the ministry in July, signed by what is believed to be a significant number […]
MRCU boss denies dead bees linked to spraying
(CNS): Mosquito Research and Control Unit Director Dr Jim McNelly told Finance Committee on Tuesday that the MRCU has no evidence to link its work with anecdotal claims of dead bees. McNelly has not yet responded to enquiries by CNS, following reports by concerned readers last week that several people saw a significant number of […]
MRCU using controversial pesticide
(CNS) Updated: The Mosquito Research and Control Unit has confirmed it is still using a controversial pesticide as part of its arsenal of weapons against the pests. In response to enquiries by CNS, MRCU Director Jim McNelly said chlorpyrifos is used as a rotational tool where mosquitoes exhibit a resistance to pyrethroid-based products. But this […]
Concerns grow over mosquito control
(CNS): From the impact on the bee population to pellets contaminating water cisterns, a growing number of people in Cayman are raising the alarm about the current policies of the ministry responsible for the Mosquito Research and Control Unit. While Cayman has always battled the various native and invasive mosquitoes through different means, at present […]
Miller urges gov’t to sort problems with MRCU
(CNS): Ezzard Miller is calling on the government to remedy the serious mosquito infestation plaguing his North Side constituency, which appears to be due to a lack of the necessary chemicals to kill the insects. The MLA, who recently resigned from the opposition leadership, said government should immediately fund the purchase of the insecticides needed […]
MRCU using CUC meters to map inspections
(CNS): A team of disease prevention officers (DPOs) from the Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU) has begun residential inspections to collect data on where the dangerous Aedes aegypti mosquito is breeding. Officials said that the DPOs are inspecting the grounds of homes for containers, whether human-made, such as buckets, tyres and cisterns, or natural, like […]
Minister claims GM mosquitoes didn’t work
(CNS): The environmental health minister, who has responsibility for the Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU). has said the release of genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in West Bay did not work and has confirmed that when the Oxitec contract formally ends on 31 December, that will be “the last you hear about Oxitec being […]
MRCU to stop releasing GM mosquitoes
(CNS): The Mosquito Research and Control Unit has admitted that it has stopped the release of Oxitec’s genetically modified male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Grand Cayman, claiming that it is moving into a monitoring phase just a few months after it entered a deal with the bio-engineering firm in May.
