If the Government has declared Zika a public health emergency, then all areas of T&T should be sprayed, not just urban areas where the Aedes aegypti mosquito is prevalent, say Opposition MPs Barry Padarath, Rodney Charles and Dr Tim Gopeesingh.
They commented after Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh at a health symposium, last Sunday, said spraying would not be done in all areas of T&T, but only in areas where the mosquito is endemic.
The virus is suspected to cause microcephaly—unusually small heads and brains in newborns—and may be associated with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an autoimmune condition causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis and death. But causative links must be confirmed, local experts said at the symposium.
Deyalsingh has declared a public health emergency situation with regard to Zika. Deyalsingh said he’d spoken to corporation heads last Friday and some—like Rio Claro/Mayaro—said they never had a dengue case, so mosquito spraying wasn’t necessary.
Deyalsingh yesterday supervised a mosquito eradication exercise in Bagatelle, Diego Martin.
But Princes Town MP Padarath, whose area adjoins Rio Claro-Mayaro said: “I’m not convinced we should isolate areas and not spray some because there have been no signs of dengue outbreaks. You can never say for sure if something will affect an area from year to year.
“Zika is a new challenge and if, as the minister correctly said, it’s a public health emergency situation, we should be leaving nothing to chance. We should spray all of T&T, not just areas where mosquitoes are endemic.
“You must have an holistic, national approach rather than the myopic approach the minister is adopting. The PNM has promised to govern for all. Let’s see spraying being done everywhere. Rural areas are just as susceptible to mosquitoes as urban sectors. There are just as many opportunities for water to accumulate and mosquitoes to thrive in rural areas.”
Charles, whose Naparima constituency adjoins Rio Claro, said: “Once a situation is declared a public health emergency, it’s expected ‘public’ means all of T&T, not just some areas with many mosquitoes.”
Padarath said the situation presented problems for rural corporations.
“I met the chairman and councillors of Princes Town corporation and while we’ve all agreed to sensitise residents about the Zika issue, the area is severely challenged due to lack of financial releases. Princes Town’s has been cut by $21 million. There will be big challenges in undertaking work including spraying.
“We hope the minister will speak to the Rural Development and Local Government division to allow corporations the resources to handle these necessary campaigns.”
Calling for the Zika issue to be discussed at a special parliamentary session as an “urgent matter of national importance,” Gopeesingh added, via a media statement, “The Prime Minister must involve the entire national community in a vigorous mobilisation exercise to avert an outbreak.
“Sustained medical/sanitation undertaking must be launched by Government, regional corporations and other relevant stakeholders to eliminate Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. There must be an all-out campaign to spray as many homes as possible, especially in vulnerable communities, in the shortest time. UNC-led regional corporations are leading in this exercise.
“Additional funding should be provided to appropriate institutions for insect vector spraying and an education campaign on measures to avoid contracting the virus. Community, non-governmental, faith-based, trade unions and other service organisations should be included and there must be focused public education campaign, involving national media and relevant public/private sector institutions,” he said.