Mosquitoes Identification Project

Identifying which mosquito species are present provides the Vector Control Unit (VCO) with information that can be use to locate mosquito breeding habitats, determine the severity of a nuisance mosquito outbreak, and provide knowledge about what mosquito-borne diseases may be present in a given area.

Different mosquito species often display different behaviors and may require different control measures due to variations in their life histories. Many mosquitoes have different breeding habitats, activity (biting) periods, host preferences and maybe most importantly, which diseases they can transmit.

Swamp Mapping Project

All mosquitoes require water for the eggs to hatch, and for the larvae and pupae to grow. Different mosquito species prefer different types of water for laying eggs and completing their aquatic stages of life. ​

One major type of aquatic habitat are swamps. The Environmental Health Department is currently mapping all monitored swamps throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands.

South Dock Rodent Project

The Environmental Health Department Vector Control Unit has the task of ensuring that vector pests are sufficiently suppressed to prevent and control vector related diseases. ​

In July 2019, the Environmental Health Department (EHD) in collaboration with members from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) initiated an Integrated Pest Management Rodent Control Project at South Dock as part of the ‘Saving the Iguana Islands of the Turks & Caicos’ a Darwin-funded project. ​

EHD main goal is to effectively manage and control the rodent population to prevent the potential spread of vector diseases throughout the Turks & Caicos Islands. ​