Increase in mosquitos raises concerns

The Environmental Health Unit has already recorded outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases

Chief Environmental Health Officer Ferdinia Carbon has expressed the Environmental Health Unit’s concern as it relates to the increases in mosquito breeding due to increased rainfall in Dominica.

“When we have an increase in rainfall, we also get an increase in mosquito breeding and a number of times we have had outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases during the rainy season,” Carbon said on a recent radio program.

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is currently underway and the Chief Environmental Health Officer stated that the Unit has already recorded outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases during the rainy season.

“That is usually our peak time for diseases that are endemic like dengue, we have seen a few cases a couple of weeks ago, so we are on the lookout for an increase in mosquito-borne diseases,” she said.

Carbon stated that the breeding of mosquitoes in water drums is an even greater danger during the Hurricane season.

“We know we now have an increase in storage of water, we have some communities that do not always have water in the taps and we have seen persons increasing the amount of storage especially in the 45-gallon drums, and the drum is the most prolific breeder. We are concerned that we will get an increase in mosquitoes which might lead to an increase in mosquito-borne diseases,” Carbon stated.

Individuals are being encouraged to reduce the mosquito breeding on their properties as they could be taken before the courts if they fail to do so.

“If I go to your home, especially if you are a continuous breeder and I decide to take you to the courts, the courts can charge you a maximum of a thousand dollars…Now this thousand dollars can also go hand in hand with three-month imprisonment and for every additional day that this breeding continues you will also be charged a hundred dollars,” Carbon said.

The Chief Officer mentioned that this is a very serious matter because people who have experienced diseases like chikungunya, or the persons who might have had a baby with microcephaly (related to Zika) know how serious those diseases are. Both diseases are spread by mosquitos.

“We have given out so much information about those diseases, we have talked so much about the Aedes Aegypti mosquito and I mean the burden of infectious diseases in Dominica is mosquito-borne diseases,” she stated.

She noted that the responsibility of citizens in controlling the breeding of mosquitos is great.

“We have to be cognizant that we have a responsibility and that responsibility is so great that we actually have a piece of legislation that of you contravene that responsibility, you can be charged,” she stated.

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10 Comments

  1. labour doe bribe me yet I still waiting
    June 14, 2017

    Tell skeritt to fix dem dam rubbish truck so if can pickup garbage in our community\’s ..is all them expose rubbish that been there by the side of d road for weeks . 5 weeks now (dswmc) cannot pickup garbage in my village cause there truck down

  2. there is a lot of mosquitoes at the fire station and airport the fire men cannot sleep at nights no one are trying to solve the problem someone please help them

    • Cyril Volney
      June 14, 2017

      There is a drain full of stagnant water between the airport fence and the road. Just full of mosquitoes. It is blocked and needs to flow freely.

  3. Let The Truth Be Known - Original
    June 14, 2017

    Those mosquitoes are a pain in the neck and elsewhere. We know they surface where there is moisture.
    Those who store water in drums should place some sort of cover on them so that the mosquitoes cannot penetrate them.
    I assume not everyone has window/door screens in their homes which will also keep out the mosquitoes.
    Do the stores sell mosquito repellents that nationals could also use to spray their hands and feet that are exposed?
    Garbage should be properly covered and disposed of as soon as possible. The street/area drainage should be cleaned and also sprayed.
    There is not much the authorities can do except to continue informing nationals about taking precaution to avoid mosquitoes and prevent them from breeding in their vicinity. As with other insects, I do fear it is a losing battle due to the climate. Nationals just have to do their utmost to combat them.

  4. June 13, 2017

    People take care of your environment. even rotten fruits breed mosquitos please,please lets all look after one another.

    • Cyril Volney
      June 14, 2017

      People create the mosquito environment. I live 2000 ft from the closest house in mosquito infested Wesley, and have only the occasional mosquito. Roofing drains blocked with leafs are the main culprit, although badly disposed of garbage and opened coconuts come in a close second. Anything able to collect water is a breeding environment.

  5. June 13, 2017

    This is for the person name[ Ideal] who commented . Dominica is a tropical Island with lots of Rivers and streams , so is brazil and the south, and central Amerrikkas including the southern U.S.A., all kind of insects exist in those tropical forest , we are a nature Island, the Government of Dominica, with the ministry of health are doing a wonderful job educating the people of D.A. I am part of the Dominican diaspora and when I am home they come around and spray, check people’s yard to make sure there are no containers that hold H20 , we lost our national dish the frog due to pesticide, we don’t want to over spray with pesticide, it cus our young men to become sterile, and so are our women, so next time you visit bring your OFF , and stop complaining, maybe you should have drank more of the local rum, and by the way they like to bite woman more than the…

  6. Country Man
    June 13, 2017

    The lack of proper garbage disposal is also breeding grounds for these pest

  7. Ideal
    June 13, 2017

    I totally agree, was in Dominica recently and all I can remember was the hundreds of mosquito bites I got. The island is still beautiful but something has to be done with this issue. God Bless Dominica.

  8. Patricia Pemberton-Zims, RN
    June 13, 2017

    What about the great, big, ZEEEKAAH lie??? What about Zika mozzies making our brains small and shrinking our men\’s private parts. What about that aye???

    Liars!!!

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