Member of Parliament for Tabaquite Anita Haynes-Alleyne says the Government's response to the current dengue outbreak has been slow, especially as the public health hazard was plaguing her constituency.
“There is a high level of concern as the mosquito population has exploded despite it being quite early in the rainy season,” she said.
“My office, as well as the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation (CTTRC), has received numerous requests for mosquito spraying and several constituents have reported dengue cases in their families and communities,” she reports. “In fact, Tabaquite has been described as a hotspot with respect to dengue cases.”
MP Haynes-Alleyne said while the CTTRC’s Insect Vector Control Division has embarked on a mosquito spraying exercise, support from the central government is critical, in terms of equipment, manpower, and data.
She maintains that in the absence of prompt data confirming the highest concentration of dengue cases, the Regional Corporation is fighting an uphill battle as they attempt to maximise the limited resources available to them.
“The CTTRC is responsible for a vast geographic area, with only one fog machine available in the Caroni District,” MP Haynes-Alleyne noted.
The MP called on the Ministry of Health to assist with providing the relevant data and additional support where required at community health centres.
She also called on the Ministry of Works and Transport to promptly respond to requests.
“Requests have been submitted to the Ministry of Works since the beginning of this year to clear overgrown bushes in Gran Couva, Tortuga, and other communities. Unfortunately,” she said, “there are often unnecessary bureaucratic delays with the MOWT insisting they are not responsible for certain roadways and drainage paths.”
“The result is that many areas go without what should be routine maintenance and now we are seeing the repercussions of that negligence,” she explained.
MP Haynes-Alleyne added that “the timely execution of sensible proactive measures” could have mitigated the current dengue outbreak.