Operation: Mosquito Search & Destroy!
THE Aedes aegypti mosquito, identifiable by the white markings on its legs, is public enemy number one, as it is the main vector that transmits the viruses that cause dengue, chikungunya and Zika.
This is the stance we must all take as we collectively battle the spread of these mosquito-borne illnesses. This is the reason the Ministry of Health has initiated ‘Operation: Mosquito Search and Destroy’.
Let’s look at the Aedes aegypti a little more. The World Health Organization says flight range studies suggest that most female Aedes aegypti may spend their lifetime in or around the houses where they emerge as adults, and they usually fly an average of 400 metres.
This means that people, rather than mosquitoes, rapidly move the virus within and between communities and places. How does the transmission happen?
The viruses are passed on to humans through the bite of an infective female Aedes mosquito, which gets the virus while feeding on the blood of another infected person.
Our tropical climate conditions make it difficult to have no mosquitoes at all, but we are able to limit their growth. Since the onset of the Zika virus in Jamaica, the Ministry of Health has not only heightened its surveillance, but also its vector control activities.
As part of this increased fogging is being done, but this is simply not enough as it kills only a proportion of adult mosquitoes. The more important and sustainable action is getting rid of mosquito breeding sites.
This requires individual responsibility because, as we said, the mosquito breeds and flourishes around people. So we are all responsible in the fight against all mosquito- borne illnesses, such as Zika.
The Ministry of Health’s launch of a National Clean-up Day, which focused on three areas in St Catherine, reaffirms the need for behaviour change in the way we manage our waste and the need to consistently destroy mosquito-breeding sites.
Each person is able to contribute to proper garbage disposal in their own small way. This includes getting rid of tins, bottles, plastic containers, tyres, and anything else in which water can settle.
Additionally everyone can and should join in the national response to the threat of the spread of Zika by consistently searching for and destroying mosquito-breeding sites.
Each week you and your family and coworkers can search for and identify several possible mosquito-breeding sites. These range from the obvious large containers of water (barrels, tanks, drums) to the dish drainer in the kitchen.
There are many areas that you may not have thought of to search for mosquito breeding sites so remember that any container or area that allows for water to gather and stand is a potential site for mosquitoes to breed and you must not allow that.
As a means of extra precaution against mosquito bites, it is advised that you use bed nets in conjunction with mesh on doors and window screens, you wear light-coloured clothing, cover your body as much as possible, and use mosquito repellents containing DEET on exposed skin.
We are all at risk of becoming infected with these mosquito-borne illnesses. Your age or gender does not matter, and if you don’t get bitten you cannot get ill.
This means we should all take every step possible to search for and destroy mosquito breeding sites. Operation: Mosquito Search and Destroy is on. Let’s fight ZIKV!