Chief Environmental Health Officer, Anthony Scotland has called for the participation of the public as an island-wide clean-up campaign, to combat mosquitoes, gets underway in Dominica on Thursday.
In keeping with the theme of the campaign, “Stop Mosquito Breeding Today, Keep Zika Away,” the Ministry of Health and Environment has enlisted the help of various stakeholders in the plan which was formulated to combat the Zika virus, which is carried by the Aedes Egypti mosquito.
“In terms of the stakeholder plan that we developed, it would involve Fire, the Police — the Police, basically, would provide security for us, and also to clean up Police bases at their station,” Scotland explained. “Fire Department, hosing all the blocked drains in Roseau, Portsmouth and in other areas in communities; and, we want them to clean around public buildings if they have enough time to do that.”
Municipal authorities have been called upon to become involved in the campaign as well, playing a supervisory role, and providing the resources necessary to create a clean community environment.
“We’re looking at village councils, participate in public outreach, the cleaning of drains, ravines, gutters, removal of litter, supervision of the collection of the bulky waste from body shops, also to supervise the sanitary labourers and provide also transportation to assist in collection and hauling of the waste,” he stated. “So, the councils around Dominica, they need to also get involved, in terms of providing vehicles to assist in the movement of that bulky waste out of the community. And, if they have organic waste or vegetation, we have…environmental officers to identify areas where they can put that sort of waste.”
Scotland said that due to prior experience with mosquito-borne diseases, he is confident that Dominicans will be able to combat Zika.
Nevertheless, people must be cautious.
“The research has shown the mosquito, Aedes Aegypti is causing the problem, and we need to all measures to prevent her from breeding around out homes,” he said. “We have fought battles against her, in terms of our Dengue outbreak, and the Chik outbreak, and we think that we can again pull in together to contain this alarming disease that is occurring around us,” he noted.
The public is asked to clean their surroundings, ensuring that no areas or containers can become suitable mosquito breeding grounds during the clean up campaign.
Photos below from Bellevue Chopin as the campaign got underway on Thursday morning. Photos by Office of the Prime Minister.
Dominicans not easy eh. Everything they do they want payment or reward. Can you believe in a particular village people fighting for juice after they finish clean. Please
Big Clean-up, move from your yard the end of someone else’s driveway, today.!!!!!
@grace… u took that right from my mouth,…. why not make today a holiday for all business places to be closed so that everyone can go clean ? it wont hurt the business places that much in many money if their doors are closed for 1 day….oh well…. for those that are out there … thanks for taking time the initiative
You are being ignorant of the fact that Dominica already has too many national holidays where businesses are closed. We can’t afford to have so many holidays in a country where productivity is already so damn low. Why do you need a holiday to do something for yourself???????
good job
Cleaning campaign for Zika – No campaign for de Aids Virus? Now all you see that small things have power? Just a little small tiny mosquito. Just like de little people all you have been taking for granted in Dominica – When they (the little people) will rise up; there will be a clean-up and removal of all dirty and corrupt Mini-Stars of gov-we-ment.
That’s nice, Everyone should do their share. Hopefully on my next visit I can do the same.
.This is not a blue or red thing, it’s everyone thing.clean up and save Dominica. She’s beautiful.
Id like to help but I have to work!
What an excuse! So if the Zika mosquito bite you, will you be able to go to work? I have an excuse too – Today is my day of rest.
You don’t have to worry about that, you can just grab a trash bag and go through Roseau picking up trash off the street.
While I applaud this initiative, how can you get maximum participation on a Thursday when most people are at work? Why couldn’t this be done on a Saturday?
Continue on Saturday… and every weekend do a little bit more…
This is an initiation of an effort hopefully Dominicans will carry on. Why should it be a one time thing. We should clean up our surroundings everyday. We shouldn\’t be forced t do what is right.
my friend I don’t know if you live in Dominica but the government and the rest people that ask us to make today the day to do this, knows well what they about there are more people not working then those that are working only in dominica you can get that amount of us to come out on a so call working day to clean up like that why dent they ask us to do it on a weekend THANK OF IT MY PEOPLE anyway I clean our Road am use to cleaning my yeard
Hats of the the Ministry of Health and Environment and the general public by extension for this clean up campaign.
maybe today should of been a holiday…..
Great initiative…………………….
Am sure you’re not going to get any in Bawi and Marigot, they need those for the next venture. Lol.
So where is the private sector,civic organizations,religious organizations.the media all those prophets pontificating to dominicans every day,where are their imputs.one thing is clear if zika affects dominica not only government and their officials will feel it,s impact.
The only people that need to be concerned are pregnant women and their babies. It’s not going to affect the rest of you that much. It is a biological warfare agent manufactured in laboratories with a genetically engineered Aedes Egypti mosquito and a manmade virus. Just like HIV and Ebola.