Istanbul to fight mosquitoes via mobile app

ISTANBUL

The Istanbul Municipality has launched a mobile application that will enable authorities to identify and locate different mosquito species in the city in a bid to check the mosquito-borne diseases in the province.

The application aims to identify and detect the type and location of mosquitoes with the help of users who will have the option to take and upload photographs of mosquitos in their area in the app, enabling authorities to take appropriate measures to control mosquito-borne diseases.

At the beginning of the year, some academics warned about the possible threat of dangerous mosquito-borne diseases and aggravated problems that could arise due to them in the upcoming summer months if officials do not take prompt actions.

They had pointed out that new mosquito species could be natural carriers of the West Nile or Zika viruses.

Providing information about the application, Önder Yüksel Eryiğit, a senior municipal official, said that pilot studies were currently underway in five districts of Istanbul and that the application would be made available to all residents this summer.

Noting that there are 190,000 mosquito habitats in Istanbul, and 80 percent of them were created by humans, Eryiğit said that residents should be included in the process of fight against mosquitoes.