CARICOM Chairman and Prime Minister of Belize, Dean Barrow, on Wednesday announced a series of actions that CARICOM member states will take to curb the Zika virus that is affecting the region.
The course of action includes continuous public education, implementation of measures at ports of entry, health facilities, schools, private enterprises (such as hotels and tourism facilities), factories and other businesses.
He said entities would be encouraged to do whatever was necessary including fogging to render them free of Aedes aegypti mosquito breeding.
The chairman also outlined that governments were being asked to reduce import tax on essential public health supplies such as insecticide-treated bed nets and insect repellent for the duration of the epidemic in the region which they estimated would be approximately two years.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday at the conclusion of the 27th Intersessional meeting of the conference of heads of government of CARICOM in Placencia, Belize, Prime Minister Barrow also announced that the second week of May will be designated as ‘Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week’.
