Fri | Sep 6, 2024

Westmoreland Municipal Corporation donates fogging machine to public health department

Published:Sunday | July 21, 2024 | 10:40 AM
Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, Councillor Danree Delancy (centre), hands over a fogging machine to Chief Public Health Inspector at the Westmoreland Public Health Department, Steve Morris (second left), at the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation’s offices in the parish on July 18. Sharing the moment (from left) are Acting Medical Officer of Health for Westmoreland, Dr Zainab Maiyaki; Accountant at the Corporation, Carolissa Simpson and Acting Chief Executive Officer at the Municipality, Marcus Bromfield. - Contributed photo.

The Westmoreland Municipal Corporation has donated a mosquito fogging machine to the parish's Public Health Department to assist in its thrust to rid the parish of the vector.

The device was obtained by the Corporation at a cost of more than $385,000.

During the handover ceremony held at the Corporation's offices in Savanna-la- Mar, Mayor of the town, Councillor Danree Delancy, said that the machine is expected to assist the department in reducing the parish's mosquito population.

“The device is being provided at this time, bearing in mind the several complaints that we are getting all across the parish with regard to what I call a mosquito invasion. This will no doubt help the Westmoreland Health Department in being better able to serve the citizens of this parish as far as reducing the mosquito population goes,” Delancy said.

He noted that the item was procured after Chief Public Health Inspector for the parish, Steve Morris, reached out to the municipality and informed them that a machine was needed, as one of the department's fogging machines was out of commission.

“We saw it fit that we should respond, as best as we could, to that request for at least one fogging machine and then went about getting our procurement and accounts departments involved, and after all that was done here, we are here today,” Delancy said.

“We are happy that we could respond in a positive way at this time. We value the partnership of the Health Department working in tandem with us. We know that such partnerships can only work for the betterment of our parish and our citizens,” he added.

For his part, Morris outlined that the machine arrived just in time to combat the post Hurricane Beryl influx of the Aedes aegypti mosquitos in the parish. He emphasised that the machine will go a far way in assisting the department.

The mosquito is responsible for transmitting dengue fever, and the Zika and chikungunya viruses.

- JIS News

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.