Holguín Reports Presence of Giant African Snail
- Written by Alfredo Carralero Hernández
- Published in Holguin
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The presence of the giant African snail, harmful for human health and agriculture, has been confirmed in the province of Holguín.
The mollusk is one of the most damaging snails in the world because it can transmit meningitis, in addition to its predatory effect on some 200 vegetable species.
José Rubio Ventura, director of Plant Health in the eastern territory, said Tuesday in press conference that the presence of the aforementioned snail was reported in the territory on May 23 in the community of Certeneja, near the city of Holguín, where about two hectares have been tracked.
He indicated that in that area, after three days of search and capture of the harmful mollusk, the number of specimen eliminated amounted to 864, according to the registry of specialists involved in the activity.
Rubio Ventura added that the inhabitants of that town reported the presence of a snail with a high level of reproduction.
He pointed out a monitoring system has been implemented in the territory to control the presence of one of the most invasive land-based mollusk species in the world, adding that there is a serious action plan to eliminate it, as it is a harmful pest.
Raising the monitoring level in the municipalities, the training of specialists and the population in the use of gloves to avoid contact with snail during harvesting of crops, as well as the use of common salt or lime to contribute to its destruction, are among the measures to fight its presence in these areas.
Preventive measures also include an extensive educational work directed to warn students and their parents of the risks of manipulating the mollusk without means of protection, before whose appearance, children, by their level of curiosity, may be the most vulnerable.
This species was first sighted in Cuba in Havana in 2014, and specimens have now been located in the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Las Tunas, Ciego de Avila, Villa Clara and Holguín.
