GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- A joint operation will begin on April 9 starting in the residential areas of Dutch Quarter, Sucker Garden and Middle Region in connection with the elimination of mosquito breeding sites.
The national Mosquito Breeding Site Elimination & Clean-Up campaign under the Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA) department of Collective Prevention Service (CPS), is a collaboration of Sint Maarten’s PEER & Cash for Work Projects.
The joint operation includes the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment, and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health (RIVM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and VectorStars.
The campaign is an urgent response to continuing to reduce the potential impact of mosquito-borne diseases such as ZIKA, Dengue and the Chikungunya virus on Sint Maarten.
All citizens of Sint Maarten are encouraged to join in together with their communities to initiate this fight for the nation’s sake. Residents are asked to cooperate with the team of inspectors to remedy any issues that may arise and are also asked to conduct a general cleanup of their premises.
The joint operation team wants to motivate the public to dispose of any bulky waste which includes fridges, stoves, furniture, tires, containers, etc.
These items can provide potential breeding grounds for mosquitos. The bulky waste and hurricane debris can be moved to the front of the yard to be hauled away by the identified collection company.
The campaign objective is to rebuild and strengthen the local vector activities and surveillance operations for the benefit of protecting the local citizens and preventing current and future public health challenges as it relates to mosquito-borne diseases.
This objective will require the compliance, participation, response, involvement of all residents and visitors to Sint Maarten in proactively battling the mosquito population.
Each and everyone, from young to old, has a role to play in building Sint Maarten into a stronger, smarter, and a more collaborative community and especially in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases.
For additional information, you can call 542-1122, 542-1222, 542-1322 or 542-1570.
