The Caribbean Cement Company Ltd has partnered with the Ministry of Health and the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation to invest over $2 million to support vector control efforts particularly in communities that are neighbouring the Company’s plant in the Corporate Area.
Minister of Health, Hon. Horace Dalley thanked Caribbean Cement Company Ltd for being among the first private sector companies to embark on this effort. Minister Dalley was speaking at the official launch held January 19, 2016 at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston.
Minister Dalley said, “I fully endorse this partnership with the Caribbean Cement Company Ltd as this will go a far way in assisting us with our vector control efforts in communities as all support is needed as this time to destroy mosquito breeding sites and”.
“The Ministry of Health cannot do it alone and we are appealing to other private sector companies to come on board to educate their staff and their communities and to work together with us to minimize the impact of the zika virus on the population, our country and our economy,” he continued.
The community mobilization efforts will include training of vector control workers and deployment in communities to work with the health team to educate and assist with the destroying of mosquito breeding sites.
Since December 2015, the Ministry of Health employed approximately 1000 vector control youth workers who were trained and deployed at different times into communities across the island to increase public education and identify and destroy mosquito breeding sites.
The support from the Caribbean Cement Company Ltd will see approximately 100 vector control workers deployed after training by January 25, 2016.