The campaign is aimed at eliminating mosquito breeding sites such as the one in this photo.
PHILIPSBURG--A campaign to rid districts of mosquito breeding sites coupled with a clean-up campaign is expected to start on Monday, April 9, in an effort to stem the spread of the bloodsucking, virus-carrying insects.
The operation, called “national mosquito breeding site elimination and clean-up campaign,” will begin in the residential areas of Dutch Quarter, Sucker Garden and Middle Region.
Authorities said in a press release on Thursday that the campaign is an urgent response to continue to reduce the potential impact of mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika, dengue and the chikungunya virus in St. Maarten.
“All [residents – Ed.] of St. Maarten are encouraged to join in together with their communities to initiate this fight for the nation’s sake,” it was stated in the release. “Residents are asked to cooperate with the team of inspectors to remedy any issues that may arise and are also asked to conduct a general clean-up of their premises.”
The joint operation team wants to motivate the public to dispose of any bulky waste such as refrigerators, stoves, furniture, tires, containers, etc., as these items can provide potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes. “The bulky waste and hurricane debris can be moved to the front of the yard to be hauled away by the identified collection company,” according to the release.
The objective of the campaign is to rebuild and strengthen local vector activities and surveillance operations for the benefit of protecting residents and preventing current and future public health challenges related to mosquito-borne diseases.
“This objective will require the compliance, participation, response, involvement of all residents and visitors to St. Maarten in proactively battling the mosquito population. Each and everyone, from young to old, has a role to play in building St. Maarten into a stronger, smarter, and a more collaborative community and especially in the fight against mosquito borne diseases,” the release said.
The operation, which involves the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA Department of Collective Prevention Service (CPS), is one of the PEER and Cash for Work projects. The joint operation includes the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI, the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health RIVM, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and VectorStars.
Additional information can be obtained by calling tel. 542-1122, 542-1222, 542-1322 or 542-1570.
