Advisory

2001-75
July 5, 2001

Embargo issued against the importation of Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena) in standing water

OTTAWA - On July 2, 2001, Health Canada advised importers to cease the importation of Dracaena, an ornamental lily plant better known as Lucky Bamboo, in standing water due to the potential carriage of exotic mosquitoes into Canada. Health Canada notified the Canadian Customs and Revenue Agency to place an embargo on the importation of all shipments of Lucky Bamboo in standing water arriving at all Canadian ports.

All imports between July 2 and July 17, 2001 will either be returned to the point of departure in Asia, destroyed on arrival, or treated to remove any significant risk of mosquito release into Canada. After July 17, 2001, no shipments of Lucky Bamboo will be allowed in Canada if they arrive in standing water.

It is Health Canada's advice that anyone having Lucky Bamboo should have no specific health concerns related to the potential importation of mosquitoes at this time. The means of transporting and caring for the plant in Canada will not pose any potential for mosquito introduction. People who currently have Lucky Bamboo plants need take no further action. Destruction of existing plants in Canada is not necessary nor is it recommended.

The decision to embargo was sparked when the Los Angeles County Health department issued an alert that an exotic mosquito species known as Aedes albopictus, "the Tiger mosquito", had been released from a container of imported Lucky Bamboo plants arriving by ship from Asia. The plants are imported from several countries in Asia including: Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and China in small containers of standing water, in batches of about 500 containers. The water was derived from local sources in Asia, and contained the eggs and larvae of mosquitoes. Similar importations of plants have been received in Canada, although no mosquitoes have been reported in Canada.

The Tiger mosquito is a voracious biter and can effectively transmit many viral agents, which are not normally indigenous to Canada and the United States but are potentially harmful to humans and animals. In addition, the mosquito can transmit viral diseases which already exist in Canada and the U.S., such as Eastern Equine encephalitis, Western Equine encephalitis, and La Cross encephalitis, which can cause disease in humans and animals.

The Tiger mosquito was first introduced into the south-east U.S. in the late 1980s with the importation of used tires from Asia. It spread rapidly along north-south transportation routes aided by the movement of goods and people, and has displaced native species of mosquitoes in some areas. No human case of viral transmission due to Aedes albopictus has been documented in the U.S. or Canada to date. The Tiger mosquito has been found as far north as Chicago but it does not survive the winters in northern U.S. nor has it ever been identified in Canada.

The embargo states "that all shipments arriving by sea containing "Lucky Bamboo" (Dracaena) [will] be seized and detained." This will require, at the owners' and shippers' expense, that all embargoed shipments be fumigated to kill living adult mosquitoes. The cargoes will then be inspected and, as required, a mosquito larvicide will be added to the standing water, before the cargo is allowed into Canada. Any potential mosquito infested cargo may be destroyed without opening, at the owners' and shippers' expense. Alternatively, the cargo may be returned by the shipper to its point of origin without being opened in Canada.

Media inquiries:
Paige Raymond Kovach
Health Canada
(613) 957-1803