The Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program at Fort Bend County Health & Human Services has developed a mobile app game in cooperation with Zco Corporation to create public awareness of mosquito breeding conditions and ways they can be eliminated
“This app is a great way to introduce public health to the new generation of mobile users. It will engage our youngest residents of the county and hopefully instill good mosquito preventive habits,” said Dr. M. desVignes-Kendrick, Local Health Authority and Director of Fort Bend County Health & Human Services.
Mosquito Mayhem provides a fun and exciting way to learn about the routine activities people can do to control the attack and breeding of mosquitoes around their home. “We are very excited to step into the ‘gaming’ world to provide an innovative way for children and parents to learn more about mosquitoes and ways to keep them from breeding around their home,” said David Olinger, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at Fort Bend County Health & Human Services.
The app “gamifies” these activities by using a typical home as the main setting of the game. Around the home, there are multiple problem areas where mosquitoes can breed. These problem areas and preventive actions are executed as mini-games within the app. The gamer has to provide maintenance to the breeding spots in a timely manner to prevent mosquito attacks. The mini-games emphasize the need for people to prioritize mosquito control efforts and the elimination of breeding sites.
The game is now available to the public for free download on Android Google Play and Apple App Store.