The Ministry of Health will be focussing on a small insect that packs a big punch.

It currently is observing Mosquito Awareness Week which began yesterday, May 8, and runs until Friday, May 12, under the theme: ‘Small bite, big threat’, and carries the slogan:  ‘Fight the bite, destroy mosquito breeding sites’.

In a release, the ministry said the increase in global temperature and other anthropogenic activities have resulted in a continuous increase in the number and frequency of mosquito borne diseases globally, regionally and at the local level.

In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we have had our share of these diseases in the form of Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika outbreaks in the recent past.

Hence, it is at this crucial time that we bring communities, agencies and institutions together to ‘fight the bite’, the ministry said.

It must be recognized that the Aedes aegypti mosquito (the vector for Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika) is endemic to SVG. Therefore, the likelihood of a vector borne disease outbreak at any time of the year is extremely high. The question may be asked: How can we as a nation, a community and an individual be one step ahead? The simple tasks of covering drums, properly storing tires and checking for possible mosquito breeding sites are actions that are necessary.

As we mark Caribbean Mosquito Week we join with other regional communities to strengthen existing initiatives in the Region and mobilise the public and communities to take action and eliminate mosquito breeding sites.

The objectives of Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week are:

•To promote education, awareness and community participation in vector control.

•To promote communication and cooperation.

•To maintain vector control activities on the political and community agenda.

•To serve as platform for integrated activities.

The Ministry of Health, Wellness, and the Environment emphasizes health as a shared responsibility therefore it is encouraging everyone to share the responsibility to ensure that we are always one step ahead.

Let’s collectively and intentionally “fight the bite”.