[UPDATED] Khadijah Ameen criticizes government for spreading dengue

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UNC MP Khadijah Ameen.  - File photo
UNC MP Khadijah Ameen. – File photo

Khadijah Ameen, Shadow Minister for Local Government at the UNC and Member of Parliament for St Augustine, says the government is not allocating enough resources to the fight against dengue.

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has recorded 229 laboratory-confirmed cases and two deaths in Trinidad and Tobago as of July 9, up from 126 cases on June 21.

During a press conference at the UNC headquarters in Chaguanas on July 9, Ameen said she was aware of numerous instances where several regional companies were not provided with the resources they needed to address the spread of the virus.

The virus is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes and is common in tropical and subtropical climates.

Symptoms include high fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash.

According to Ameen, Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh is burying his head in the sand and making the issue political.

She accused the government of failing to allocate sufficient resources and manpower to government institutions critical to combating the spread of the disease.

“Entomologists, public health inspectors, environmental health professionals, data collection and mosquito monitoring are all professions needed to provide a comprehensive, integrated approach to mosquito management.”

Ameen said the Insect Vector Control department should take the lead in developing strategies to combat the spread, while regional companies provide manpower and support in the work.

She said UNC had received reports that several units were understaffed, while other units either had no vehicles at all or had partially functioning vehicles with employees paying for repairs themselves.

“The division falls under the Minister of Health and should take the lead and be supported by local government authorities. But that is not happening.

“Because of the lack of good management, because of the incompetence of the Minister of Health, there is a lack of resources, a lack of personnel, a lack of vehicles and equipment, and also of chemicals.”

She said a lack of efficient working methods was hampering the fight against the disease.

“We also have a glitch because the health authorities are not sharing as much information with the regional companies as they should, and that should help them in their approach to combating the thinking.”

Ameen accused the government of being reactive rather than proactive.

“Has our government implemented additional surveillance, prevention and control measures? And has the government done enough to reduce the transmission of the virus and the presence of mosquitoes in Trinidad and Tobago? The clear answer is no.”

The ministry has said it will impose fines of up to $3,500 on people whose properties become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

She said the fines were unfair as several regional companies had been forced to reduce the frequency of their waste collection services due to budget cuts.

“(There are) long stretches of road, lonely roads where people dump waste, and regional companies struggle to clean up this mess. These are all opportunities for mosquitoes to inhale clean water. That is why we are asking the Minister of Local Government to commit to ensuring that a comprehensive sewage cleanup program is implemented in each regional company.”

Ameen said that besides imposing fines, there are numerous measures that can help combat the spread of the disease.

“They used to call the UNC government a ‘box-drain’ government, but box drains are one of the measures that improve drainage and prevent the spread of dengue.

“We are asking for more litter prevention officers to be appointed in all regional corporations. We are asking for a comprehensive program to clean up wastelands in each region, including addressing abandoned vehicles and illegal dumping. Only then would it be fair to charge citizens a $3,500 fine for offending.”

This story has been edited to add additional details. See original post below.

Khadijah Ameen, United National Congress (UNC) Shadow Minister for Local Government and Member of Parliament for St Augustine, says the government is not allocating enough resources to the fight against dengue.

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has recorded 229 laboratory-confirmed cases and two deaths in Trinidad and Tobago as of July 9, up from 126 cases on June 21.

Ameen said at a press conference this morning that she is aware of numerous cases where various regional companies are not receiving the resources they need to combat the spread of the virus.

The virus is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes and is common in tropical and subtropical climates.

Symptoms include high fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash.

According to Ameen, Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh is burying his head in the sand and making the issue political.

She accused the government of being reactive rather than proactive, saying there are numerous measures that could help stop the spread of the disease, in addition to imposing fines.

The ministry has said it will impose fines of up to $3,500 on people whose properties become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

“They used to call the UNC government a ‘box-drain’ government, but box drains are one of the measures that will improve drainage and curb the spread of dengue,” Ameen said.


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