Jungle doused in bug spray to ease Duchess’s Zika worries
THE Tongan authorities protected the Duchess of Sussex from Zika virus by spraying the rainforest to clear it of mosquitoes ahead of the royal visit.
The principal of Tupou College, where the Duke and Duchess yesterday unveiled two new dedicated areas of preserved rainforest, said the health authorities had sprayed an unspecified chemical in the area twice in the two days preceding the arrival of the royal couple.
As they visited the college, the Duke and Duchess were treated to a performance of a song about mosquitoes, complete with actions and buzzing sound effects from pupils.
The tune left the Duchess, who is about four months pregnant and has taken medical advice about the Zika virus, in irrepressible giggles. The country has a “moderate” risk of Zika, which is transmitted by mosquitoes and can cause birth defects.
The Duchess has spent four days in Fiji and Tonga, wearing long sleeves and mid- or floor-length skirts, and has been undertaking events largely inside or in urban areas while the Duke heads into the forests. At the college, the Duke walked through a section of the forest without her. Alifeleti Atiola, principal of Tupou College, reassured the Duchess about the Zika threat, saying: “I just wanted to make sure that she knew that it is safe here.” Pointing at the forest, he disclosed: “We got the health authorities to come and spray this two days in a row, yesterday and the day before.”
During a ceremony which dedicated two areas of the forest to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy, pledging to protect them, the Duke thanked the people of Tonga for “leading by example” to protect the environment. Yesterday afternoon, the couple flew from Tonga to Sydney where they will visit Invictus Games competitors, before flying to New Zealand on the final leg of their trip.