Mosquito Awareness Week Focuses On Student Education

The Vector Control Unit in the Environmental Health Division will spend this week educating students about the life cycle of the mosquito and the diseases they spread as part of Mosquito Awareness Week.

Mosquito Awareness Week is being observed from May 8 to 12 under the theme, ‘Small Bite Big Threat’.

Deputy Chief Environmental Health Officer Henrietta Alexander said officers from the division will be doing a mosquito hunt in the schools to teach the children how to find and destroy mosquito breeding sites, according to a government statement.

“The aedes mosquito is responsible for diseases like Zika, Dengue Fever and Chikungunya. While our message of reducing mosquito breeding and protecting self from mosquito bites remains the same, we felt it was important to employ the children as messengers as we continue our mission to fight the bite,” Alexander said.

Students will also learn how to conduct surveillance activities by searching for potential mosquito breeding receptacles with lessons focusing on garbage disposal on a regular basis, drains checked and clearance where water can settle and containers being scrubbed at the waterline to destroy mosquito eggs.

Other activities this week will include an Expo on reducing mosquito breeding and other vector control mechanisms by the Red Cross Emergency Preparedness at the Noel Lloyd Park on May 12.