This 2006 photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a female Aedes aegypti mosquito in the process of acquiring a blood meal from a human host. On Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, U.S. health officials are telling pregnant women to avoid travel to Latin America and Caribbean countries with outbreaks of a tropical illness linked to birth defects. The Zika virus is spread through mosquito bites from Aedes aegypti and causes only a mild illness in most people. But theres been mounting evidence linking the virus to a surge of a rare birth defect in Brazil. (James Gathany/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP)
The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment hosting a meeting today with a broad range of stakeholders to address the national response to the Zika Virus.
This meeting is designed to address the Ministry’s strategy to manage the threat of the Zika virus, in particular, a National Clean-up Drive, aimed at reducing the aedes aegypti mosquito, the vector which transmits the Zika, Chikungunya and Dengue viruses.
The Ministry says the participation of all stakeholders is vital to the success of this effort.
The Meeting is being attended by representatives from the Ministry of Tourism; the Tourism Authority; the Hotel Association; the Ministry of Agriculture; the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Pan American Health Organization.
The OECS Member States on Tuesday agreed to take a coordinated approach to control the management of the spread of the Zika Virus and have asked that all Member States launch a cleanup campaign, in keeping with the ongoing strategies within the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, including Integrated Vector Control.
