The project “Mosquito control in cross-border area 2” is the result of cross-border cooperation between Croatia and Serbia. The implementation of the project began on March 15, 2021, and will end on March 14, 2023. The total budget of the project is EUR 984,670.78 , of which the value of the donation is EUR 836,970.14 . The leading partner is the Teaching Institute of Public Health of Osijek-Baranja County, while the other partners are the Institute of Public Health Sombor, the Institute of Public Health of Požega-Slavonia County, the “European Affairs” Fund of AP Vojvodina and the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina.
In Novi Sad, on June 3, 2022, a round table was held for local self-government units of the South Backa administrative district. During the lecture, the participants had the opportunity to learn more about prevention and threatening diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. Prof. Dr. Sanja Bijelović opened the meeting, greeting all present from the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina, who is one of the partners in the project.
The attendees were addressed by Zdravko Jelušić, a member of the City Council for Municipal Affairs of the City of Novi Sad, who stated that the City of Novi Sad is located in a climate that is more than a good habitat for mosquitoes. The goal of this round table is an opportunity to inform citizens about how big problems can arise if we do not seriously deal with this topic, not only mosquitoes but also other harmful insects, such as ticks and all those that science has recognized as insects harmful to health People. Through public procurement, the City of Novi Sad allocated significant funds for the control of harmful insects in the previous period, more precisely 162 million dinars including VAT. A round table like this is an opportunity to see where we are wrong and what we have learned in the fight against these pests.
Dr Tamaš Petrović, scientific advisor from the Scientific Institute of Veterinary Medicine Novi Sad, gave a presentation on the importance of monitoring the mosquito population, in terms of controlling the transmission of viruses to humans and animals, and thus the importance of timely monitoring, for the prevention and control of infectious diseases. He presented the results of surveillance in the previous 8 years, based on the analysis of West Nile fever and other viral infections such as Zika, dengue and yellow fever. He emphasized the need for timely monitoring of invasive species of mosquitoes, that is, surveillance of pathogens, for the purpose of timely prevention, alarming the population and prevention of serious epidemics.
In front of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina, assistant Dr. Tatjana Pustahija presented diseases that are a potential threat to public health in our country. We already have one group of diseases registered in our country, while the other group of diseases are those that were registered in our country, so they were eradicated in the middle of the last century, but now they appear again as a potential threat. The third group of diseases are those that we have never registered in our country, but which are a serious threat, because they have already spread to the European continent.
Coordinator for public procurement of the MOS-Cross2 project, in front of the “European Affairs” Fund of the AP Vojvodina, Sanja Čuturilov Veselinović, in her statement, emphasized the importance of the Round Table for local self-government units of the South Bačka District, as well as the topics presented by experts in the field of mosquito control. Veselinović stated that this is the first of two Round Tables for local self-government units, which will be held within the framework of the MOS-Cross2 project. Mosquito traps with detailed instructions for combating mosquitoes at home were distributed to those present.
The project is co-financed by ERDF and IPA II funds of the European Union.