Apart from COVID-19, mosquito-borne diseases also pose a threat to the public, Chief Health Inspector reminds residents

Amid this COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Health Inspector Sharon Martin is admonishing residents not to drop their guard regarding the protection of their property from breeding mosquitoes.

The eradication of mosquitoes, which cause a number of illnesses in humans, was at the forefront of a campaign that was mounted by the Central Board of Health prior to the pandemic.

However, Martin says, preoccupation with the coronavirus has caused some residents not to be as attentive as before to the dangers mosquitoes pose. 

She advises residents to go around their yards, cover open containers, drain old tyres and other containers that hold water, and  use oil to form a coating on the surface of water in containers that cannot be covered.

Residents are reminded that mosquitoes can cause a range of serious illnesses, including dengue fever, malaria, Chikungunya, Zika and the West Nile Virus.