GANGSTERS involved in organised crime in Ireland seem to be getting more violent. They’re also becoming more daring.
Gunmen no longer lurk in the shadows waiting for their target to get out of a car or open the front door. They’re quite prepared to operate in daylight and in public places.
These guys place little value on human life. They occupy a world where brutality is normal, and the use of force is justified to protect their nefarious activities. But it is also a lucrative world.
The illicit drugs market can generate eye-popping fortunes for those prepared to take the risk of lengthy spells in prison, or maybe even death.
These villains are motivated by greed, and as long as there are vast amounts of money at stake, there will be those who will consider it a risk worth taking.
The drugs issue has been a growing problem in Dublin since the early 1980s. Now it seems that every town and village has been infected with this scourge and it’s difficult to see where it will end. But I have an idea.
I heard some worrying news on the BBC recently - well, worrying for me anyway. Apparently, because of climate change, we are going to see a lot more mosquitoes in this part of the world in the future, including the species known to carry and transmit the dengue virus.
Dengue is a tropical disease, but in the last few years it has arrived in Europe.
Once known as break-bone fever, dengue viral infection can cause a severe headache, high fever, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, and rashes. Still, many people who are infected have no symptoms at all. In rare cases, however, dengue disease can be fatal.
The world’s worst dengue outbreak in 2023 was in a key dengue belt region, affecting tens of thousands of people in Bangladesh where the virus killed nearly 1,500 people, with more than 291,000 infected. The outbreak there was linked to extraordinarily wet monsoons, and the dirty, stagnant water in which the mosquitoes breed. Warmer, wetter conditions linked to global warming are helping some disease-spreading mosquitoes to thrive.
They’re getting closer. Another dengue-linked mosquito, called the Asian tiger mosquito has been caught in surveillance traps in the UK.
That’s bad news for people like me, who seem to be the preferred diet for these creatures. I can’t let my guard down for a second when I’m away or I will be eaten alive.
There has been a lot of research done about why some people are mosquitoes’ favourite snack.
Gizmodo.com questioned why some people get ravaged by mosquitoes if they so much as take a walk at dusk, while others can walk through clouds of the insects and not get a single bite.
There are many reasons why mosquitoes can’t seem to resist some people, but it starts with the types of people who attract mosquitoes in the first place. Although these insects can smell blood for miles, they mostly locate their prey by tracking the carbon dioxide that animals exhale. People who exhale more carbon dioxide are more obvious targets.
There is also evidence that mosquitoes prefer women because their skin is thinner, allowing for an easier bite.
The World Health Organisation recently predicted that dengue will become a major threat in the southern United States, southern Europe, and new parts of Africa within this decade, as mosquitoes continue to expand their range and take dengue virus along with them.
According to Bugpursuits.com, mosquitoes can already be found in Ireland during the summer thanks to our mild temperatures and lush greenery. When the temperatures heat up, they can be found here, making life uncomfortable for humans and animals alike.
The most common type in Ireland is the house mosquito. This species was first found in 2009 and is now present in many parts of the country and is known for its distinctive black and white stripes.
I struggle to see mozzies at the best of times so I’m pretty certain I have never seen the black and white stripes.
The precautions we are advised to take when it comes to mosquitoes in Ireland, are to wear long-sleeved clothing, use insect repellent, and avoid stagnant water where mosquitoes can breed.
There is an awareness programme currently underway in Cyprus advising residents there to avoid leaving old car tyres, jars, pots and anything else that can hold stagnant water lying around outside.
Cypriots have another plan too. Authorities there are battling an influx of disease-carrying mosquitoes by importing hundreds of thousands of the insects after being sterilized through radiation.
The battle is primarily focused on eradicating the aedes aegypti variety of mosquito that has been found in large numbers on the island.
While other breeds are also in the firing line, these guys have been specifically targeted to prevent their potential migration to continental Europe. They can transmit dengue, Zika and yellow fever as well as West Nile virus.
The authorities collect and dispatch these mosquitos - both eggs and grown insects - to laboratories in Italy and Austria, where they’re bred and separated into male and female.
The male mosquitos are then sterilized by being exposed to ionizing radiation at the International Atomic Energy Agency headquarters in Vienna.
About 100,000 mosquitoes are then brought back to the island every week so that they can be released for breeding.
The mating won’t produce any offspring and as a result, the mosquito population diminishes.
If it works, the authorities won’t have to resort to potentially harmful and expensive insecticides to eradicate the pests and life should become more bearable for residents and visitors alike.
I wonder if a similar plan could be adapted for those involved in gangland crime?
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