‘Our staff spend a lot of their time doing education and awareness campaigns at community level, because many of the health problems we see are preventable through behavioural changes. This includes effective waste management in the home, washing one’s hands and safe food handling practices at all times, especially in summer. Admittedly, this summer will be even more challenging as a result of the drought crisis, but I appeal to residents not to forego basic hygiene and to help us reduce the risk of disease,’ added Alderman Smith.

The City encourages the public to follow these tips to deter pests:

• Seal wet kitchen waste in plastic bags before disposing of it in your bin or black bags
• Store your bags and bins in a cool place
• Keep your bins closed at all times to prevent flies from entering
• Disinfect your bin after every removal
• Keep your refuse bags out of reach of animals
• Collect and dispose of animal faeces on a daily basis
• Do not litter and dump refuse in open spaces
• Stagnant water in disused swimming pools may become a breeding place for mosquitoes. As the water level becomes too low to run the pump, check with your pool professional options to control mosquito larvae

In terms of food safety, the World Health Organisation advocates five Keys to Safer Foods:

• Keep surfaces, utensils and hands clean
• Separate raw and cooked food
• Cook thoroughly
• Keep food at safe temperatures
• Use water and raw materials that are safe

‘We encourage residents to be vigilant about hygiene and safety, whether it is food management or pest management. We continue to see the proliferation of illegal pesticide sales and during summer this is likely to increase. These substances are extremely harmful, with often fatal consequences, so we’d much rather residents approach their local Environmental Health office for advice. The City provides free rodent baiting in poorer areas, so we encourage residents to go that route instead of purchasing illegal pesticides,’ added Alderman Smith.