On Monday, April 29th, the Environmental Health Unit conducted a seminar for hotel and villa employees as well as for persons who are self-employed in the field of pest control.
The objective of the seminar was to create awareness of the presence of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito on Anguilla, and to educate landscapers, maintenance officers and other interested persons on the biology and characteristics of the mosquito, as well as to teach various measures of control. The Aedes Aegypti mosquito is the main vector (disease transmitting insect) for Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses.
Environmental Health Officer, Mr. Lesroy Lake, was the main facilitator of the seminar. He emphasized the fact that this vector has created much concern for many, especially tourists who travel to island. It was for this reason that hotel and villa employees were targeted for training at this time.
Mr. Lake explained: “With the emergence of these viruses in the region, and now locally, we face a significant new health and economic security threat, particularly as most of the countries in our region are dependent upon tourism.”
He stressed that the widespread presence of these viruses —mainly Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya — throughout the Caribbean region is due primarily to the presence of high infestation levels of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. He noted that there is a lack of immunity to vector borne viruses in Caribbean populations, and that the viruses can be contracted and spread by persons who engage in frequent travel between Caribbean countries.
Speaking at the seminar was the Chief Medical Officer, Ms. Aisha Andrewin. She gave an extensive overview of the status of the virus’ presence in the region and in Anguilla, and focused on the risk that such viruses posed locally. She stated: “The greatest transmission of the virus from human to human is through the mosquito.
“The Aedes Aegypti mosquito has infected persons in Anguilla with all three of the prime mosquito borne diseases, namely Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya. Other countries would have West Nile virus, yellow fever and such. With the first three diseases first mentioned, it is safe to say that we in Anguilla have a problem, but it could have been much worse.
“Dengue fever is the oldest of these three, known to Anguilla. Dengue fever causes severe illness. Special care and attention should be given to older adults and younger children who may be affected. Typically, Dengue fever is not usually deadly, but it is extremely discomforting and painful.”
Dr. Andrewin mentioned the signs that would be associated with Dengue: “There would be a high fever; severe headache in the forehead area; severe pain between the eyes; muscle aches, joint aches; nausea; vomiting, a rash, and swollen glands. The incubation period, that is from the time the mosquito bites to the first symptom of sickness, is usually one week. The duration of the discomfort is also one week”
Dr. Andrwein observed that there is no specific medical treatment for Dengue. She noted that administering some supportive treatment is the best form of care. Pain relieving pills should be given for reducing the discomfort, but asprin should be avoided. She added that the affected individual should also be properly hydrated, since losing water through vomiting and diarrhea can cause dehydration. It must understood that Dengue is the most severe virus of the three, and vaccines against it have not yet been forthcoming.”
She explained concerning the lethal characteristics of Dengue: “Dengue kills more people than Zika or Chikungunya. It can cause one to “bleed out”. It can cause respiratory failure or other organ failure. This causes Dengue to be the most deadly of the three.
“The sad thing about Dengue,” the Doctor said, “is that within a short time it has spread globally. Just before 1970, only nine countries reported Dengue cases. Now Dengue is an emdemic. It is here in our environment. For this reason, we must be extremely careful in safeguarding against it. Since 1970, over the last 40 to 50 years, Dengue has jumped from cases in nine countries to more than 100 countries in the world.
“As it increases its geographic spread, we are seeing more deaths from Dengue now. At this point there are about 390 million cases worldwide per year. For our region, the region of the Americas of which Anguilla is a part, there was an estimated 2.3 million cases in 2010 of which 10,200 cases were at the level of severe Dengue. There were over 1,000 deaths.”
It is for these reasons that the Environmental Health Unit has been taking the initiative to educate the people of Anguilla about the risks of Dengue fever. This education program is an ongoing venture, and the Health Unit reaches out to communities to sensitize the people through churches schools, and in other forums.
The seminar on Monday was an example of one such outreach. According to Health Officer, Lesroy Lake, “We are trying to educate the workers from the various hotels and villas across Anguilla, as we help them to build capacity on vector control management. We are showing them what we have done over the years, and how we are looking forward to them to do their part, after we would have coached them here, to go back to their workplaces and make a difference in seeking to control the Aedes Aegypti mosquito on Anguilla.”
Naturally, mosquito control is everybody’s business. We must all do whatever we can to maintain a healthy, safe environment. As Dr Raman Velayudhan of the World Health Organization puts it, ‘“Every individual can contribute to prevent the spread of dengue by eliminating all sources of standing water, which are potential mosquito breeding sites in and around their own houses, in flower pots, gully traps, garden, discarded tyres, containers or roof gutters… We need to get every family member involved and help, as these simple activities make a big difference.”
– Staff Reporter, James Harrigan
