Strategies for the control of the mosquito, which causes Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika, are failing.
This is according to Dr. James Hospedales, Executive Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), as he stressed that what is needed is an “all hands onboard approach”.
“Community participation is critical to the success of any programme designed to eliminate breeding sites of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Efforts are doomed to failure if even one household is negligent,” he said, observing Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week May 8-12, under the theme, “Small bite, big threat: Fight the bite, destroy mosquito breeding sites.”
In its second year, Caribbean Mosquito Awareness is bringing greater awareness to the mosquito vector through education and social engagement in CARPHA member states. It is hoped that greater awareness and engagement would bring about behavioural change, leading to the elimination of the Aedes aegypti mosquito and greater personal protection, especially as the rainy season approaches.
Supporting this “all hands onboard approach,” CARPHA Assistant Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention Control, Dr. Karen Polson Edwards pointed out, “Mosquitoes are social creatures, and we are their preferred host. Their breeding sites are mostly man-made water containers.
“This being the case, we all have the power to eliminate them by destroying their breeding sites. The message of taking ten minutes a week to check surroundings for and destroying any breeding sites is always relevant, and should become part of our routine.”
The public health agency acknowledges that for Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week 2017, strengthening household and community participation are key.
“Everyone feels the effects of mosquito-borne illnesses. It affects our economy and has the potential to negatively affect the tourism sector, the major revenue earner for many Caribbean islands. It also contributes to loss of productivity, ill health and death. The possibility of babies being born with microcephaly and men, in particular, contracting Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), as a result of being bitten by an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito, are also of concern.”
