Pest exterminators mobilized to help in quake-hit regions (JAPAN)

SENDAI —

The three prefectures hardest hit by the March earthquake and tsunami are now waging a major battle against swarms of flies and mosquitoes that have emerged out of filthy puddles and waste left in the wake of the disaster.

Squads of professional pest exterminators and volunteers have mobilized to get rid of the pests in 13 coastal municipalities of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. ‘‘Precautionary measures must be taken to prevent an outbreak of food poisoning or encephalitis,’’ one expert said.

Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, and Ofunato and Rikuzentakata, both in Iwate Prefecture, are particularly at risk because they are home to major fishing ports. These cities are already infested with hordes of flies bred among the masses of rotting fish stocks originating from local warehouse, according to the Japan Pest Control Association.

Not only do flies feed on the fish, some become carriers of the O-157 strain of the E. coli bacteria, which could cause lethal food poisoning.

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http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/pest-exterminators-mobilized-to-help-in-quake-hit-regions