In light of the current rainfall, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Marion Bullock DuCasse is urging persons to dispose of or empty containers that collect water and search for and destroy any other mosquito breeding site around the home, school, church and place of business.
Dr. DuCasse explains that the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which primarily breeds in water that settles in containers around places inhabited by humans, spreads diseases including dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus.
“The best way to reduce your chance of getting any of those vector borne diseases is to reduce the population of the Aedes aegypti mosquito which spreads the viruses. The dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses can only be spread by the bite of this mosquito. When the mosquito bites an infected person, it can transmit the virus to others bitten afterwards,” Dr. DuCasse points out.
Individuals should get rid of mosquito breeding sites by looking for anything in which water can settle and either cover it, keep the area dry, clean it regularly, fill it with soil or sand, punch holes into it and recycle or properly dispose of it. If mesh is used to cover containers then the holes should be small enough so that mosquitoes cannot enter.