THE Ministry of Health is encouraging the public to adopt preventative measures in order to thwart the spread of vector borne diseases.
According to Dr. Sharon Belmar George, Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, the spread of vector borne diseases increases during the months of June to August.
As a result, this year’s vector awareness campaign: “Beat the Bite: Companies and Communities Collaborating for Change.” urges Saint Lucians to take preventative steps.
“With this campaign, we aim to heighten the public’s awareness and knowledge of vector management by inducing behaviour change,” Dr. George said. “We are working with constituency councils at the level of the community by targetting the gatekeepers of the different communities. There will also be clean-up campaigns to ensure the reduction in the proliferation of mosquitoes at source locations.”
The impact of vector borne diseases are significant and range from high out-of-pocket treatment expenses to battling a chronic phase of a disease such as chikungunya, Dr. George related; while on the economic front, the private sector was very hard hit due to the number of persons needing to take sick days.