SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — As health officials intensify their vector control campaign across the island, chief health inspector at the Westmoreland Health Department Steve Morris is endorsing the use of insect screens to prevent mosquitoes from entering homes and other buildings.

“One of things that we have to realise is that although we have been using a lot of insecticides, nowadays people are more sensitive to things. And even chlorine in their water, people don’t want that so they move into bottled water. They are afraid of chemicals so the push has to be of barrier methods,” said Morris.

“This is where we are encouraging people to build screens to prevent mosquitoes from coming into your dwelling and using personal protection because we can come through the community, do our spraying, but many times we come into the community doing our fogging and persons lock up their doors because they don’t want the fog to affect their children or affect them,” Morris continued.

He was speaking at a recent certificate presentation ceremony for 25 participants of the two-month-long training programme in vector aide management, construction of insect screens and mesh covers, and small business management at Wesleyan Methodist Church in  Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.

The training was an initiative of the  Westmoreland Municipal Corporation, under the Climate Change Adoption and Risk Reduction Technology and Strategies (CARTS) to improve community resilience project, which was financed by the Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (CDRRF) – a multi-donor trust fund financed with grant resources from Global Affairs Canada and the European Union, and managed by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

Delivering the keynote address at the ceremony, consultant pediatrician at the Western Regional Health Authority Dr Ludrick Morris concurred with his namesake from the health department.

“We need screens, and in the land of wood and water we have to cover the water sources around our home and as such you build covers for drums and other water reservoirs that we are using to help to build our resilience. So, we are adopting, we are reducing the risk and we are becoming resilient,” Dr Morris said.

“Once upon a time the only defense I knew was mosquito destroyer. We have to build new lines of defence and that is where you (trainees) come in: our first line of defence is prevention.”

Meanwhile, the chief health inspector encouraged the graduates of the training programme to use their newly acquired insect screen construction skill as an income generator.

“We endorse this project and we hope that the beneficiaries will not just use it as a training but continue even in terms of the business development part; use it as a business, something that you can promote and they can make money from by pushing this not just in their community, but outside of Westmoreland and encouraging other persons to use barriers as a method of preventing mosquito borne diseases,” Morris recommended.

 Knowledge, management and public education consultant for the CDRRF, Indi McLymont-Lafayette shared similar comments.

“These persons now have the skills to make and sell these insect screens and mesh drum covers — so they can be generating income while helping to reduce the risk faced by the community of the proliferation of mosquitoes,” McLymont Lafayette said.

“As many of us know, a study by Professor Anthony Chen at University of the West Indies Climate Studies group has shown that the hotter temperatures we are experiencing aids in the breeding of mosquitoes like the Aedes Egypti which transmits dengue, malaria and other illnesses. AS The mesh drum covers will greatly boost water security as it is a good way to keep your water clean and free from external contaminants,” she said.

The CARTS project is one of five the CDRRF is implementing in Jamaica, with  others being implemented in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, and the British Virgin Islands.