Westmoreland to get additional vector control workers

Minister of Health, Dr Christopher Tufton, says that the Vector Control Unit at the Westmoreland Health Department will receive additional temporary workers to assist with eliminating mosquito-breeding sites in the parish.

"We are going to add some additional workers through the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) Programme and the Ministry of Health Vector Support Programme. They currently have 33 temporary and nine permanent staff, and we will add another 20 or 25 to give them better and fuller coverage of the parish," Tufton said after touring the Aldyar community in Westmoreland on Friday.

The minister also noted that additional vehicles will be provided to ramp up vector-control efforts in the parish.

Tufton pointed out that Westmoreland has had over 100 suspected cases of dengue fever in the last year and four confirmed cases.

"We have identified the areas that are particularly vulnerable, and Aldyar is one of these communities. One of the problems in these areas is that people use water containers which are oftentimes not covered, and they become fertile breeding ground for the Aedes aegypti mosquito. We continue to urge citizens to look in and around their homes to ensure that there are no breeding sites," the minister said.

TUFTON'S TOUR

Tufton toured the community with vector control coordinator at the Westmoreland Health Department Ryan Morris, chief public health inspector for the parish Steve Morris, and several vector -control workers.

On his part, Ryan Morris expressed gratitude to the minister "for taking the time to have discussions with us and for his pledge to increase the number of workers and motor vehicles for the Vector Control Unit as we have been doubling our efforts to destroy mosquito breeding sites in the parish".

Meanwhile, Morris said that there has been a drastic change with the 33 persons recently added to the unit through the HOPE programme, as it relates to the destruction of mosquito-breeding sites and that he is hoping that the additional 20 to 25 workers will further bolster the unit.

JIS