The Programme began in 1954 as a regional one, funded and supervised by the World Health Organization (WHO). Its object was to control the spread of the deadly yellow fever disease, prevalent in the region at the time. The programme was called the Aedes Aegypti Eradication Campaign, and was conducted in most countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. It operated under a strict military style vertically controlled regime, using the potent DDT based insecticides.
By 1957, spectacular results were achieved in some countries including Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: with the total eradication of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. The programme in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was suspended shortly after.
Due to lack of proper surveillance, the Vector was reintroduced into the state thereafter. The Programme restarted in 1971, followed by a name change in 1987 to the Insect Vector Control Programme. This resulted from the broadening of our activities, which included a rodent control component, and was conducted in collaboration with the Plant Protection Unit of the Agricultural Department, with material support from the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization. By this time, the use of DDT was restricted and was substituted with environmentally safer, but less effective insecticides.
Following the withdrawal of the overseas agencies' support in the form of equipment and insecticides, the local government assumed full financial responsibility for the Programme, and we were forced to limit our rodent control operation to government buildings only.
Overview
During the period of review July 2002/2003, the Vector Control Unit achieved some measure of success in all activities undertaken. Our main objective of controlling dengue fever in the state improved from twenty nine (29) cases recorded in the first six month period, of review, to zero in the next six months.
The indicators of disease threats, however, continue to be of concern especially in the suburban areas of Kingstown and St. George.
The frequency of derelict tyres forming breeding sites for mosquito vectors is on the increase. The Southern Grenadines were without service for the greater part of the review.
In recent years, we shifted form periodic visits by a team of workers from the mainland, to the employment of domiciled workers in Canouan and Union Island. Due to lack of close supervision from Kingstown and the absence of a District Environmental Health Officer, the workers never motivated themselves to perform creditably and are no longer on the job. We intend to revisit the idea of working with a team from the mainland; hence, we anticipate an increase of expenditure under the heading of Local Travel and Subsistence. Nuisance mosquitoes continue to be an important factor in complaints reported to the Unit.
In response, the following are indicators of the chief reasons:
- Defective Septic Tanks
- Flooded pit latrines
- Streams blocked by sand bars at sea surf
- Improperly graded/maintained public drains
- Flooded salt marshes in the Grenadines
The field staff was retrained to widen its activity base in anticipation of their expanded role in the proposed restructuring of the Public Health Department, and to ease the burden resulting from the current vacancies in the Public Health Inspectorate.
The necessary shifting of emphasis from insecticidal treatment to the elimination/control of breeding containers requires a staff better trained in the social sciences to enhance the process of public education. This would result in voluntary public participation and positive behavioural change.
