Basel Prepares Mosquito Battle; Border Bust Nets Cash Haul; Youth Tobacco Restrictions Tested

News For 22 February 2022

The Asian Tiger mosquito, a more aggressive cousin of the standard European variety, was first detected in Basel in 2015.  Since then, traps maintained by the Swiss Tropical Institute in Basel have shown that more than 20% of the mosquito population is now the Asian variety.  Health officials are also concerned because the mosquito tends to be a vector for diseases such as Dengue Fever and Chikungunya.  All is not lost in the battle against the buzzing bugs - Susanne Biebinger of Basel's cantonal laboratory said that some districts of the city have had almost complete success in eradication efforts by reducing outdoor still water containers, and the use of biological larvicide.  As the warm seasons arrive, officials are encouraging those maintaining private gardens to employ all successful measures to battle the mosquitos.

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Late last week, two men were arrested at the Chiasso border crossing into Switzerland from Italy in a car.  When customs officials searched the vehicle they found close to a million Euros in cash and half a kilogram of Cocaine.  The two men, 33 and 60 years old are German residents held in custody and are now facing money laundering and narcotics trafficking charges in Switzerland.

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Last week, almost 57% of the Swiss population voted in a referendum to restrict the advertisement of tobacco to children and young people.  The result will ban advertising where children can see it, such as kiosks, events and even the internet - and restrict it to locations where minors are restricted.  As promising as this sounds for the improvement of the health of minors, the Basel Health Department found that kids still find it relatively easy to get tobacco products.  Having sent 150 underage children to purchase tobacco products at usual outlets, in almost 1/3 of cases the kids were successfully able to do so, despite prohibitions.