Up to now, the Ministry of Health seems to have placed most of the onus in the fight against the upsurge of dengue in T&T on individuals taking responsibility for keeping their homes free of receptacles containing stagnant water.
Such receptacles are the breeding ground for the Aedes aegyti mosquito, which is the carrier of dengue.
Resulting from the Government’s drive to make the spread of dengue the responsibility of individuals, Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh said this week that some 31 people have received citations from the Government under Public Health (Yellow Fever) Regulations, 1979.
Those regulations, as amended in 2016, make people in contravention of them liable to a fine of $3,500 or to imprisonment for six months
Last month, the Ministry of Health underscored personal responsibility in the fight against dengue when it issued a news release reminding citizens that the best means of reducing the incidence of mosquito-borne diseases is through the elimination of the breeding sites of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
The Ministry of Health urged the public to:
Dispose of all unwanted articles, derelict vehicles or appliances in the yard or environs, which can collect water and become mosquito-breeding grounds;
Cover water containers such as tanks, barrels, drums or buckets with a mosquito-proof covering;
Cut down and remove all bush or undergrowth that can harbour mosquitoes;
Clean drains and guttering to allow for the free flow of water; and
Use mosquito nets and insect repellent, when appropriate as a means of personal protection.
This advice is invaluable in seeking to eliminate the mosquito-breeding grounds throughout the country, and is pertinent to all homeowners and renters throughout T&T.
But the question arises to what extent is the Government, state enterprises and agencies throughout the country carrying out the advice outlined by the Ministry of Health.
As the largest employer in the country, the Government owns or rents scores of buildings in T&T.
In order to lead the fight against the spread of dengue, the Ministry of Health should send an internal memorandum to all ministries, government agencies and state enterprises directing them to dispose of all unwanted articles, derelict vehicles or appliances in yards or environs.
And while it is valid for the Ministry of Health to call on citizens to clean their drains and guttering to allow for the free flow of water, the Government, both local and central, has a responsibility to ensure that communal drains are cleared of the garbage and debris that cause clogging and result in the stagnant water that is the breeding ground of mosquitos.
Obviously, individuals also have a responsibility to ensure that they do not contribute to clogged drains and stagnant water.
While putting the onus on individuals is appropriate, the Ministry of Health must also ensure that communities hardest hit by the dengue outbreak are supplied with spraying equipment and the insecticide necessary to kill dengue-spreading mosquitos.
Tabaquite MP Anita Haynes-Alleyne told this newspaper on Tuesday that the number of mosquitos in the constituency had skyrocketed and there had been reports of more and more cases of dengue affecting families and neighbourhoods.
"My office and the local regional corporation (Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo) are flooded with requests for mosquito spraying," she said. The Ministry of Health must respond immediately to the request of the Tabaquite MP and all other MPs in hard-hit constituencies.
The fight to eradicate the mosquitos that cause dengue, not only requires individual and governmental action, there is also need for communities to pull together to reduce the threat of the disease.
As reported in the Guardian yesterday, the Chaguanas Borough Corporation leads the way in demonstrating what the collaboration of businesspeople, volunteers and a sports club can achieve in cleaning up abandoned lots and spraying areas of mosquito infestation.