HEALTH Minister Terrence Deyalsingh on Sunday shot back at the Opposition’s allegations of him being negligent amid a dengue fever surge, saying his ministry’s efforts have been underway since February. Caroni East MP Dr Rishad Seecheran earlier chided Deyalsingh at a briefing at UNC headquarters in Chaguanas.
Deyalsingh, in reply via WhatsApp, said his ministry had prepared medical staff, educated the general public and worked to eradicate mosquitoes, all since February.
He sent Newsday a ministry statement, Dengue Briefing, which he had read out on TV6 and Radio 95.5 FM.
“That was in early June, accounting for our activities since February,” he told Newsday. “Note we started in February.”
Deyalsingh told Newsday, “Over-exposure to chemical spraying results in two dangerous outcomes: One, the mosquitoes build up resistance so creating a bigger long-term problem where the mosquitoes will not be controlled. Two, over-exposure can be harmful to human and animal health.
“That is why source reduction by eliminating breeding sites in our homes, schools, workplaces and places of worship where we spend many hours is critical.”
He urged a focus on property owners eliminating breeding sites, for example, flower pot saucers, guttering and water containers.
Deyalsingh sent Newsday a World Health Organization (WHO) document, Dengue Global Situation, dated May 30.
He remarked, “Please note this is a global problem due to changing weather patterns, for example, El Nino and La Nina.
“Politicising this issue as the UNC is doing is not helping the public to understand the issue.”
In the document, the WHO said this year it had 7.6 million reported cases of which 3.4 million were confirmed, including 16,000 severe cases and 3,000 deaths. The hike in cases was “particularly pronounced” in the Americas, with seven million cases by April, relative to 4.6 million last year. Some 90 countries have reported dengue cases, it said.
On April 18, the ministry, on Facebook, called on the public to be proactive in protecting themselves from mosquito bites.
On Facebook on June 21, the ministry posted two statements about people protecting themselves from mosquito bites and dengue fever signs and symptoms.
On July 5, the ministry posted a public advisory on Facebook, listing the phone numbers of all county medical officers of health, plus dengue symptoms.
In his June statement, Deyalsingh had said the ministry was targeting adult mosquitoes by three techniques. These were indoor residual spraying (spraying a home’s hard surfaces to last three months), thermal fogging (using a hand-held device to spray around buildings and open spaces), and ultra-low volume spraying (using a truck-mounted device to spray large outdoor spaces).
Saying the indiscriminate use of these chemicals could develop resistance within the mosquito population and may harm non-target organisms like butterflies and candleflies, he said the main method of control should remain source reduction strategies at the household and community levels. He had
