Christ Church has been identified as having the highest number of complaints about mosquito infestation reaching the Vector Control Unit of the Ministry of Health.
Senior environmental health officer Maurice Gaskin revealed this during a lecture on Controlling Mosquitoes And Rodents In Your Community organised by the Helping Hands Community 4-H Club last Sunday evening at St Christopher Primary School.
Gaskin said since the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which spreads dengue fever, bites between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., during which time children are at school, “we plan to increase the sensitisation and have developed a school programme, where we fog primary and secondary schools in the parish each Saturday until the end of the school term”.
He also spoke about the various types of mosquitoes, the diseases they spread, the two types of rats and mice found locally, and control measures.
Gaskin stressed that source reduction and health education remained the best ways of dealing with the mosquito population as the chemical means of fogging only dealt with the adult mosquito not the eggs and larvae.
He was concerned about the theft of bait stations, which was hampering control of the rat population, especially in Bridgetown.
Gaskin called for people to be trained in vector control as many Barbadians were baiting incorrectly.
He said the bait should not be mixed with food because the food prevented it bait from working properly.
In addition, he said the unit wanted to be contacted so that it could conduct training for individuals and organisations.
The one-day workshops would provide information on vector control, and people would be issued a certificate.
The training programme is free and will run from October 11 to 28. The unit can be contacted at 467-9406 or 467-9338.
