As the threat of Zika remains prevalent in many of our communities, Sandals Resorts in St. Lucia have taken the initiative to help protect our schoolchildren from the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito on their compounds.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the vector that transmits the viruses that cause Zika, dengue fever and chikungunya, among other diseases. These viruses are passed on to humans through the bites of an infective female Aedes aegypti mosquito, which mainly acquires the virus while feeding on the blood of an infected person. Efforts to control this vector are ongoing and critical to maintaining satisfactory health standards nationally.
This week, General Manager of Sandals Halycon, Christopher Elliott, along with the Hotel Manager of Sandals Regency La Toc, Stephen Husbands, journeyed to the Balata and Marchand Combined schools where they presented the respective principals with mosquito traps to place on the school premises. Both principals — Mrs. McKean and Mrs. Lubin — were on hand to receive the In2Care Mosquito Traps for Zika control at their schools.
This action comes on the heels of an upsurge in the mosquito population across the Caribbean and an increase in the diseases associated with these insects. The principals of both schools were anxious to receive the assistance from Sandals, given their expressed inherent roles in keeping their children safe while on their school compounds.
Sandals Halcyon G.M., Christopher Elliott, said helping vulnerable school children is particularly important.
“As one of our sponsored schools, we partnered with FDL Pest Control and the SLHTA to bring the In2Care Traps here to assist with the control of the mosquito,” Elliott said. “We use them at the resort for our guests and team members and so we wanted to increase the level of safety at our schools as well.”
Meanwhile, Sandals La Toc Hotel Manager, Stephen Husbands, spoke to the corporate social responsibility of the company and its continued efforts to assist in the upkeep of the school’s environment in ways that will impact the children’s health and hygiene.
The principals of both primary schools said the traps will be very useful and look forward to seeing the benefits in an overall reduced mosquito population in their school environs. They also thanked FDL Pest Control for their hands-on approach to setting up the traps and informing the students about how they function.