Caribbean Mosquito Week Concludes with Strong Community
The Environmental Health Division (EHD) has wrapped up Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week with a series of school visits, public outreach activities and a community expo that drew strong participation across the British Virgin Islands. The week emphasised practical source-reduction measures and reinforced that mosquito control is a shared responsibility between government and residents.
The Environmental Health Division (EHD) has concluded Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week after a week of targeted education, outreach and hands-on demonstrations designed to reduce the risk of mosquito-borne illnesses across the British Virgin Islands, the EHD and the BVI Government reported.
Acting Chief Environmental Health Officer Henrietta Alexander told the EHD and the Government that this year’s observance was “not just about awareness. It was about meeting people where they are, starting conversations, and encouraging real change in how we approach mosquito control in our homes and communities.” Her comments were repeated in the Government’s release and in earlier coverage by local media.
Throughout the week the EHD’s Vector Control Unit visited Francis Lettsome, Ebenezer Thomas, Leonora Delville and Joyce Samuel Primary Schools, as well as Motions Daycare and Preschool and Imagination Academy VI. Staff delivered interactive sessions for students and educators explaining how dengue, chikungunya and Zika are transmitted and demonstrating simple, practical steps children and families can take to spot and eliminate mosquito breeding sites around their homes.
The outreach programme culminated in a community expo held at Noel Lloyd Positive Action Movement Park. Residents and visitors were invited to meet public health professionals, ask questions and see practical demonstrations on identifying and removing standing water. The expo gave community members direct access to materials and advice from the EHD and Ministry of Health and Social Development, reinforcing the hands-on lessons delivered in schools earlier in the week.
EHD officials emphasised that source reduction remains the most effective defence against mosquito-borne diseases. Residents were urged to inspect yards weekly and remove or properly dispose of items that collect water such as tyres, buckets and bottles; cover, mesh or turn over water-holding containers; empty or securely cover storage containers and cisterns; clean and unblock gutters and drains; change pet and birdbath water frequently; repair or install screens on windows and doors; and use protective clothing and insect repellent, especially at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active. “Mosquito control is not just the responsibility of government.
Alexander said, noting strong participation, curiosity and a growing understanding across communities that small, consistent actions can meaningfully reduce public health risk. The EHD and Ministry thanked the participating schools, partners and community members who supported the week’s activities, according to the Government release.
For more information, the Ministry’s Public Health Communications Specialist Natasha Lettsome-Humphrey can be contacted at 468-2286 or nlettsome@gov.vg. The Government also provided an international media contact at BVIGovernment@dgagroup.com and general government enquiries can be made via the one-stop shop at 1(284) 468-3701 or WhatsApp 1(284) 468-9760.
The week’s combination of classroom engagement and public outreach aimed to turn awareness into routine behaviours that keep households and communities safer against mosquito-borne illnesses, a message EHD officials say they will continue to promote throughout the year.
Primary source: BVI Government