With the Zika virus entering Dominica inevitable, the Ministry of Health and Environment (MOH) on Thursday (today) launched a Clean-up Campaign to destroy mosquitos, under the theme “Stop Mosquito Breeding Today, Keep Zika Away.”
The effort is the product of a partnership between the MOH and the Environmental Health Department, the National Pest and Termite Control and the Dominica Solid Waste Management Co. Ltd., working closely with city and village councils, among other partners.
Minister of Health and Environment, Dr. Kenneth Darroux, has called for the public to participate in the campaign, aimed at reducing the population of the Aedes Egypti mosquito, the vector for the Zika Virus.
“I now call on all Dominicans to engage in the inspection of houses and yards and destroying all potential mosquito breeding sites… We are calling on all residents to participate in the clean-up campaigns that will be announced, and to put out all articles that may serve as breeding sites for mosquitos so that they will be collected according to the schedules,” he said, at a stakeholder consultation on the Zika virus.
He emphasized the need for residents and business owners to maintain clean surroundings, in order to prevent mosquito breeding.
“But, again, I stress, the key here is mosquito control — avoid breeding. Special attention must be paid to water stored in drums and barrels, to ensure that the mosquitoes have no access to the water in order to breed, and if they do get into these containers, then these containers should be emptied, cleaned, and secured to prevent further breeding,” he noted. “Home and business owners will be seeing our individuals coming to inspect premises to help with the control of mosquito breeding.”
Darroux stressed that persons found guilty of conditions that harbour mosquitoes will be dealt with by the “long hand of the law.”
During the campaign, the MOH will enlist the aid of schools, clubs, and other social groups to help identify areas in the community which can be tackled to reduce the possibility of mosquito breeding.
In areas at greater risk of Zika infection, fogging will be conducted to reduce the number of adult mosquitoes.
Meanwhile, people are urged to exercise caution by protecting themselves from mosquito bites through the use of bed nets, protective clothing, insect repellent, and insecticide.
DR Kenneth Darrou must know that this is a contrive occurrence;
Traub worked directly for Adolf Hitler’s second in charge, Heinrich
Himmler.[3] At Insel Riems, Dr. Traub’s interests included personally
collecting Rinderpest virus from Anatolia, and packaging weaponized
foot and mouth disease for dispersal onto cattle and reindeer in
Russia.[3] Dr. Traub also experimented with the glanders bacteria and
had a particular fascination for organisms that voraciously devour the
brain.[3]
Here we go with the chemicals. Da is famous for this.
The whole of Dominica needs a clean up. As a nation we have no sense of pride, we dump derelict vehicles all over the place causing an eye sore. If it takes the Zika vitus to make us as a people take more pride in our surroundings then out of every negative there’s a positive, but having lived in Dominica for the last 12 years I know that the implementation of any law is non existent. Nevertheless i remain positive and has rang Environmental Health voicing my concerns.
This current Government has proven to be highly ineffective when it comes to ensuring proper and efficient waste management throughout the Island. If you are a responsible person, making sure you place your garbage in properly covered bins outside of your home or on the side of the road most of the time it stays there for weeks before pickup. The garbage trucks are not professional at all!!! You see open bed trucks piled high with stinking trash spilling out on the road and creating more pollution. Then you drive around the Island and see that SOME Dominicans have absolutely no regard or respect for the environment. They dump their trash indiscriminately along the side of the roads, the river banks and in the rivers! Boy… look old bottles, pampers, plastics, rubber tires, card boards, old cars, old machines and appliances all over the place! Our Government should begin to understand that waste management is a vital part of development. That is where you begin!
An area which I am very concerned about is the Marigot area. When the gentleman(although he is always on the job cleaning) cuts the bush it is left for too long before pick up hence blocking the drains and creating an environment for mosquitoes. Perhaps he needs to have an assistant or some of the money allocated for cleanup be channelled toward employing an additional person
After Zika go you can return to your usual careless dumping of your garbage – choking up all the rivers, reducing them to mere ravines.
all those drains in roseau= mosquito hotels….