Caribbean News
JAMAICA: Persons Could Be Fined for Refusing to Destroy Mosquito Breeding Sites
#Kingston, February 12, 2019 – Jamaica – Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, is warning that persons who refuse to destroy mosquito breeding sites on their property could face penalties. He said there is law that allows for fines on individuals or business entities that reject warnings to eradicate such areas on their premises.
“I believe that the time has come, and we need to enforce the law, because we have to find all possible ways to create behavioural change as the most effective weapon to controlling dengue,” Dr. Tufton said at a recent town hall meeting at the HEART Trust/NTA’s College of Construction Services in Portmore, St. Catherine.
He was responding to a complaint from a vector control worker about being prevented from accessing premises in the parish to carry out mosquito eradication activities.
Dr. Tufton told the forum that fines have been imposed recently on some persons in St. Catherine, and enforcement of the law will be stepped up. He said that the objective is to encourage personal responsibility in creating a healthier environment and reduce the transmission of vector-borne diseases.
Meanwhile, Medical Entomologist with the Ministry, Sherine Huntley-Jones, assured that the chemicals being used for fogging activities are all certified as safe for public health by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“All the chemicals that we use are effective for what we are using them for and the exposure of an individual in a community that is being fogged is very limited. As such, there is no expected harm that must be experienced by the persons exposed to it,” she said.
She, however, urged persons who have respiratory problems, to cover their nose with a wet cloth, or stay out of the areas being fogged.
Principal of the Naggo Head Primary School, Andria Givans, commended the Ministry for providing the necessary information to parents and students for the control of dengue.
She appealed to residents of the community not to “shut out” health workers from their premises.
“They have a job to do and the fogging will make things better for us,” she said.
Release: JIS
Contact: Garfield L. Angus
Photo Caption: Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (right), addresses a town hall meeting on efforts to reduce the transmission of dengue fever, held recently at the HEART Trust/NTA’s College of Construction Services in Portmore, St. Catherine. In the background are Chief Public Health Inspector for the parish, Greyson Hutchinson (left); and Dr. Phillip Coombs, who is attached to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH).
Photo by Rudranath Fraser
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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