KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness chaired an inter-ministerial meeting at Jamaica House this morning to strengthen the coordination and continued implementation of responses to the Zika Virus and H1N1 (Swine Flu).

In attendance at the meeting were the ministers and senior officials from the Office of the Prime Minister and the ministries of Health, Local Government, and Tourism, a release from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said.

The inter-ministerial approach is aimed at streamlining the Government’s Zik V and H1N1 response efforts in a more strategic, comprehensive and systematic way.  Facilitating closer collaboration across key response agencies and more strategic rationalization and use of the resources available will significantly enhance the Government’s efforts at controlling the vector that transmits the Zika Virus and combatting H1N1, the release said.

While having more resources available to facilitate the Government’s response efforts is important, better coordination of the work of the respective response agencies and more strategic use of those resources is critical to realising the desired outcomes.

Personal responsibility in the fight against Zik V and H1N1 cannot be over-emphasized, OPM added. The Government is again urging citizens to be vigilant and proactive by ensuring that items in and around their homes and communities that may serve as mosquito breeding sites are removed.

The Government is committed to working with international partners and local stakeholders in promoting the health, safety and well-being of the Jamaican people.