All hands need to be on deck to fight chikungunya, as well as mosquito-borne and other types of diseases.

This call has come from Minister of the Environment and Drainage, Dr. Denis Lowe, who urged residents of Barbados to play their part in keeping the island disease free.

???All Barbadians, young and old, professionals and non-professionals, need to get on board and try to keep the country as clean as possible and rid it of the spread of mosquito-borne and other types of diseases in the society,??? he said.

He added that persons travelling on foot or by transportation needed to be careful about how they disposed of waste, whether food boxes or drink boxes, while coconut vendors needed to ensure they disposed of their shells properly.

???It is not about blaming any one entity as some would want to do. It is about holding us all accountable for what happens in the country as far as health and wellness is concerned,??? Dr. Lowe stressed.

He made these comments to the media after addressing the 8th board meeting of the Green Climate Fund 2014 at the Charles Fort, Hilton Barbados, on Tuesday night.

The Minister pointed out that although various Government officials spoke tirelessly about illegal dumping on the island, ???there is a lot of littering going on in the country???.

Noting that Government remained concerned about the situation, he said the Ministry of Health was very responsive to the rise in mosquitoes, and had increased its fogging programme and the circulation of valuable information.

He added that while health inspectors still visited homes, the most efficient way of getting a similar service to neighbourhoods was by asking families, heads of homes and the entire community, to participate in doing that work themselves.

???I beg to challenge the public ??? continue to do your part in your domain. Make sure that you do not have any kind of circumstances around your home that would cause mosquitoes to be bred and therefore become a threat to your health and wellness,??? Dr. Lowe appealed.

Meanwhile, the Environment Minister dismissed suggestions that the presence of tyres at Vaucluse in St. Thomas was contributing to the rise in mosquitoes in that area, as the tyres were treated on a regular basis to prevent mosquito breeding.

julia.rawlins-bentham@barbados.gov.bb

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