Parliament

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Minister of Health and Environment, Rudyard Spencer, has said that efforts will be made to utilize more biological control measures in the vector control programme, in order to make it more environmentally friendly.

"A strategic shift will be made to place greater dependence on biological control measures; allowing the Ministry to deliver a more environmentally friendly and sustainable programme," the Minister said, during his contribution to the 2008/09 Sectoral Debate at Gordon House, today (June 3).

"The present vector control programme is heavily dependent on the use of chemicals and insecticides. These control inputs can have adverse effects on human health and the environment, if not properly managed and controlled," the Minister added.

Mr. Spencer noted further that the Ministry is concerned about the impact of climate change on its vector control activities.

"Climate change poses a significant threat to public health and the Jamaican people," he noted, citing a study that was carried out by the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona and the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) entitled, 'The Threat of Dengue Fever - Assessment of Impacts and Adaptation to Climate Change in Human Health in the Caribbean' which he said was the main scientific reference that provided a better understanding of the impact of climate change on Dengue Fever.

"The recent outbreak of malaria has taught us hard lessons: the penalty of ignoring traditional public health prevention programmes and the need to strengthen inter-agency collaboration and linkages among agencies such as the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), National Works Agency (NWA), the KSAC and Parish Councils, private sector organizations, non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs)," the Minister said.

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