And the Vector Control Unit is also prioritizing services to pregnant women. Chief of Operations in the Vector Control Unit Kim Bautista discussed the work they have been doing to reduce mosquito breeding sites in communities. Bautista also outlined what the unit is doing to keep pregnant women safe from mosquito bites. But there is only so much the ministry can do with the resources they have. After Bautista, Technical Advisor for the Child & Maternity Health Unit, Dr. Natalia Largaespada-Beer talks about what you must do to stay protected.
Kim Bautista, Chief of Operations, Vector Control
"Every major municipality in the country has a Zika plan which is supposed to be in effect at this time. We did several workshops with these municipalities, distributed various sources of educational materials. Since then we've confirmed Zika's presence in Belize around June or July. We have been working closely with the Caye Caulker Village Council and the San Pedro Town Council with the support of the BTIA. Swift actions were taken to address the situations on both of those islands. ULV spraying on a whole is ongoing and basically has not stopped since last year. Normally we would do ULV spraying during the rainy season or sometimes we would start around May and end around October or November, but over the past 2-3 years we've been doing it almost all year round and it has incurred significant cost. we have decided that we will make an investment, we wrote to the ministry of finance and they approved it very quickly in terms of the procurement of insecticide, treated bed nets and also insect repellant. We are in the process now of distributing these, free of cost, through the various health facilities. In any given year we have an average of about 7,500 pregnant women that the ministry will deal with and we have acquired well over 8,000 bottles of insect repellant. Bed nets, so far we have distributed over 3,000 insecticide treated bed nets free of cost and I might add that these are quite expensive inputs as well. We continue to try and lead many of these activities but it is not for the ministry of health to go into yards and clean it for you. It's a give and take and I think that we encourage the public to become more engaged and not look at it simply as demanding more spraying when really and truly that is not the solution."
Dr. Natalia Largaespada-Beer, Technical Advisor, Child & Maternity Health Unit
"Keep the dwellings free of mosquito breeding signs, use of screens on the windows and doors, the use of repellants and bed net, proper clothing and this is for protection against the mosquito bite."
The Vector Control Unit has 18 vehicles used for ULV spraying in the country. Bautista says since 2015, about $3.6 million has been invested in Vector Control. ON a final note, the Ministry of Health is also looking at the possibility of other viruses that can be transmitted by this same mosquito. One they are looking out for is Mayaro Fever which has similar symptoms as Dengue.
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