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LETTER: 'Mosquito' an ill-chosen moniker

Dear Editor: For years I have often wondered why the City of North Vancouver named public parks and areas after mosquitoes – Mosquito Creek, Mosquito Creek Marina, etc.

Dear Editor:

For years I have often wondered why the City of North Vancouver named public parks and areas after mosquitoes – Mosquito Creek, Mosquito Creek Marina, etc.

To me those names had a negative connotation and for anyone with an allergy to mosquitoes, we avoid places where they might be.

Most of us are aware mosquitoes can cause serious illness (such as malaria) and even death. The mosquito-borne Zika virus is currently spreading explosively throughout more than two dozen countries with a number of (travel-related) cases now discovered in Canada. This virus is transmitted by certain types of mosquitoes and has been linked to neurological illnesses including Guillain-Barre syndrome, an immune disorder that causes weakening of the muscles; but mainly Zika has been linked to thousands of babies born with severe neurological disorder.

Travel advisories have been posted for pregnant women travelling South due to insurance coverage.

Given the negative connotation of the name, I would like to ask: is it not time to rename the mosquito-named areas to something more appropriate?

D.M. Wilson
North Vancouver

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