Minister of Health, Hon. Horace Dalley says in the coming week his team will meet with several partners and stakeholders including the umbrella group of churches, the PSOJ and private medical practitioners to discuss areas of partnership and to increase public education about the zika virus.
Minister Dalley was speaking during the post Cabinet press brief held at Jamaica House on Wednesday, January 20, 2016.
“The Ministry of Health has ramped up its vector control activities for the past few months. We have been meeting with several groups to provide information at various fora and we will be meeting with others in the past week. I want to stress that reducing the spread of the zika virus, and as part of this, destroying mosquito breeding sites require the participation of every citizen,” Minister Dalley said.
The Ministry has procured additional vector control equipment and supplies and will further increase these supplies. “In addition, along with the private sector and NGOs, we will do everything we can to ensure that adequate supplies of pharmaceuticals are available.”
As of today, the zika virus has been confirmed in nineteen (19) countries including Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname and Venezuela.