The experts at Vector Control are encouraging the public and especially children to learn about mosquitoes by playing a new mobile application.

Zap-a-’quito was developed by the Caribbean Public Health Agency, of which Bermuda is a member, as an educational tool about the breeding sites of Aedes aegypti mosquito.

While Bermuda does not have this particular mosquito, the related Aedes albopictus is also capable of carrying vector-borne diseases, according to Armell Thomas, the programme manager for Vector Control and Port Health.

“They’ve come out with this little app and it’s called Zap-a-’quito,” Mr Thomas told The Royal Gazette. “It’s short for ‘zap a mosquito’. Every time the user zaps a mosquito, the app states facts about the mosquito and the player has to answer questions and get them right before moving to the next level.

“This is a user-friendly way to learn about vector-borne illnesses,” he said, adding that it will help raise awareness.

“The game will give young people the important knowledge on the mosquito life cycle that will empower them to stay healthy.”

“I would challenge the public to go and download Zap-a-’quito.”

Zap-a-’quito provides information about where mosquitos breed and how to stop this, as well as other facts about mosquitoes and the diseases they can carry. While the free game, available on the Google Play store, is recommended for children aged three years and up, Mr Thomas said it had “good education aspects” that are suitable for adults too.

“The time is right because so many people want to learn more about Zika right now,” he added.

The Zika virus, which is predominantly mosquito-borne, was declared a global health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organisation last month.

Mr Thomas said it is carried by the “domestic”, container breeding Aedes mosquito that lives in buckets, tyres, plant plots and fish ponds around homes.

“If people learn the life cycle of Aedes mosquitos, they will understand they need water to lay their eggs and residents should take action to remove items that may be used for mosquito breeding containers from around their homes and neighbourhoods,” Mr Thomas said.

This will help to break the cycle of the mosquito and halt the transmission of the Zika virus. The virus, which presents flu-like symptoms in one out of five infected people, has been linked to cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare disorder where a person’s own immune system damages the nerve cells. However, studies are ongoing to determine if having Zika makes people more susceptible. There have also been reports of microcephaly — abnormal smallness of the head — and other poor pregnancy outcomes in babies of mothers who were infected with Zika while pregnant.

Because there is no vaccine to prevent or medication to treat Zika, the Department of Health, in line with the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, is advising women who are pregnant or may become pregnant to avoid travelling to areas where Zika transmission is ongoing or to clear this with their healthcare provider first.