A 30-year-old man convicted for the offence for the presence of immature stages of mosquito was fined $100 by the Labasa Magistrates Court yesterday.

Krishneel Lal appeared before Magistrate Thushara Thennakoon.

Macuata Rural Local Authority secretary/prosecutor Pranit Kapoor informed the court that the incident happened last year.

Mr Kapoor said health inspectors were out in the communities during the ‘Fight the Bite’ campaign doing awareness on the importance of destroying mosquito breeding grounds.

The house-to-house visits were done to ensure the public were safe from deadly diseases such as dengue and Zika.

He said the public were very supportive and conducted clean-ups in their compounds.

However, it was witnessed that a house in Vunivau, Labasa failed to adhere to the advice.

Upon consultation, a seven-day notice was served which Lal failed to comply.

The accused was charged under Section 109 of the Public Health Act Cap 111, which states that presence of mosquito’s larvae is an offence.

Mr Kapoor said: “This conviction will serve as a deterrent to the communities who fail to adhere to the health advices being provided.”

Edited by Ranoba Baoa

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