EDITORIAL: Reduce mosquito breeding sites

WE are well into the raining season and with that season comes an increase in the mosquito population, since as we well know, mosquitoes love to lay their eggs in standing water and there is plenty water about these days.

In recent times, environmental health officers have made numerous pleas to householders, asking them to clean up their surroundings and get rid of bodies of water that are sitting idle on their properties. A few individuals have also faced the law courts after refusing to heed the advice and warnings of the environmental health officials to clean up their properties or places of business.

In the past, we as a nation have had a few public health battles, trying to tackle cases of Dengue Fever and Chikungunya. Of late, it has been Zika that we are trying to avoid. All together, these are all mosquito-borne diseases with crippling or troubling consequences. Now that reports about these diseases are down however, it appears that Barbadians have gone into relax mode, forgetting that once mosquitoes are allowed to breed and descend in abundance on homes and businesses, we will likely have trouble on our hands.

With that said, too many householders are allowing mosquitoes to breed on their properties. If you move around Barbados, a casual glance left or right will show that there are a number of vacant, overgrown lots that stand in need of cleaning and these are without a doubt contributing to the increase in the mosquito population on the island as well. To this end, Barbadians really must work around the clock to check for mosquito breeding sites, and do a good deed of cleaning up their surroundings, so as to eliminate any potentially troubling problems.

Let us remember that to date, there are no vaccines to prevent infection with mosquito-borne diseases and while it is said that for some, you can only contract it once, there are others that you can possibly contract again. Since prevention is always better than cure, it is best to avoid a mosquito bite at all costs. When infected however, it is said that early recognition and prompt supportive treatment can substantially lower the risk of medical complications and death, especially for those deemed to be in the high risk group, such as young children and the elderly, or those who may have other medical issues. It is wise therefore for Barbadians to stay on the alert.

This leads to the next point, which is that Barbadians must also be mindful that they need to cut out the bad habit of littering, as there are some who have clean properties, but proceed to take their garbage to places not designated as dumping grounds. These guilty folks need to fully understand the negative impact littering has on our communities and our tourism-oriented country. That said, it is time for a national clean-up campaign, designed to make Barbados a litter-free zone and hopefully a disease-free nation when it comes to mosquito-borne illnesses.

So the message is going out to all Barbadians today, whether residential homeowners or business owners. Take greater care of your surroundings and ensure that you eliminate all potential mosquito breeding sites, thereby cutting down on the mosquito population in Barbados.