17th August 2011
Situation: The Prime Minister has contracted the dengue fever. Officials tell us it is not a serious strain but the public gives a strange response. If it's not SO serious then why make a big deal about it? Is it just then a ploy by the government to soften the public's view against them? If our 'beloved' PM has it, anybody can be a victim and therefore maybe it isn't right to blame the Health Authority on their handling of the situation? Or maybe it's just time for them to literally 'clean up their act'.
1800 cases of dengue so far for the year? Less than last year they say. It does’t feel that way to us and especially since the statistics are not up to date it probably is more than 1800. That brings to mind something though. All this bush around the place which is obviously harvesting hordes of mosquitoes, last year around this time it was not so bushy.
And if you catch what I’m getting at you probably are a CEPEP maintenance worker who had a job last year and have none this year since the current ‘administration’ felt that you were expendable and cut the program.
And if you catch what I’m getting at you probably are a CEPEP maintenance worker who had a job last year and have none this year since the current ‘administration’ felt that you were expendable and cut the program.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I Agree that the CEPEP program should have been cut. It was never meant to be a permanent source of employment. It was a training program providing work for citizens while training them in a chosen vocation. People just get hook on it and wanted to make it their ‘permanent’ job which is why you voted in the current government who stupidly promised you that they would keep the program running even though they knew they wouldn't.
However, my point is, why isn’t there a general countrywide clean-up program anyway? And I’m not talking about the annual thing TIDCO (Tourism and Industrial Development Company) does do on the beach. I’m talking about an everyday all year all the time cleaning service for the country like what the city corporation does for Port-of-Spain. The current CEPEP program was not supposed to be permanent but that doesn’t mean that we can’t put something like that in place.
However, my point is, why isn’t there a general countrywide clean-up program anyway? And I’m not talking about the annual thing TIDCO (Tourism and Industrial Development Company) does do on the beach. I’m talking about an everyday all year all the time cleaning service for the country like what the city corporation does for Port-of-Spain. The current CEPEP program was not supposed to be permanent but that doesn’t mean that we can’t put something like that in place.
It's a great idea. Why? Because you can clean your yard all you want, empty stagnant water, clean out all the brick holes, and spray till you nearly dead with cough but if it have a lot of land next door that does never get clean it will always have mosquitoes! You think that they wouldn’t find you in the night when you sound asleep and underneath your net too?
Health officials cannot always blame peoples living conditions for them contracting dengue. There are a lot of empty lots all over the country that are unattended, from savannahs to football fields to vacated, old houses on properties. Who are responsible for cleaning these places that inevitably contribute to the spreading of dengue as well?
So, Mr. Fuad Khan are you going to tell Madame Prime Minister that she needs to be more vigilant about keeping her surrounding clean to prevent mosquitoes breeding like you did the poor parents whose children contracted the disease and some of them who even died? Or is the government going to do the right thing and accept some responsibility for the epidemic and be aggressive with their clean-up campaign.
I remember long time, every so often meaning twice or three times a year, the 'mosquito people' (that's what I called them) used to come around and spray the area in the villages, put the powder thing in your water tank outside to kill any mosquitoes who found their way in there and so forth. Nobody asked them to come, but they came, just like Courts to repossess your furniture, they showed up one day and did their thing.
Obviously it was some programme in the government at the time to maybe prevent water borne diseases and mosquitoes, something! Why don't they do that any more? I don't remember the last time I saw someone come around from the health authority or whichever branch of the government to do those things. Maybe the practices are no longer condoned by international health standards but something else needs to be put into place!
The government needs to get out there. Work with the councillors in the towns and villages, especially the areas that have the highest cases of dengue to find vacant lots that need to be cleaned and get a campaign together and start working on eradicating the dengue virus through prevention more than treatment cause we doctors need help, I sorry! Don't wait on citizens to call. We want to build a thousand and one building to reach a first world status but we can't beat dengue?
Take the matter into your own hands as the government and move pro-actively. That will save face in the eyes of the nation A LOT BETTER than crying how the PM sick. Sick? Go clean your yard Prime Minister, is your fault you got dengue. That's the advice we got from the Health Authority and we are giving it to you.
So, my question today, apart from all that is, do you think that the ending of the CEPEP program has now caused us more trouble as we are ultimately reaping the rewards of higher dengue cases due to lack of a clean environment?
Health officials cannot always blame peoples living conditions for them contracting dengue. There are a lot of empty lots all over the country that are unattended, from savannahs to football fields to vacated, old houses on properties. Who are responsible for cleaning these places that inevitably contribute to the spreading of dengue as well?
So, Mr. Fuad Khan are you going to tell Madame Prime Minister that she needs to be more vigilant about keeping her surrounding clean to prevent mosquitoes breeding like you did the poor parents whose children contracted the disease and some of them who even died? Or is the government going to do the right thing and accept some responsibility for the epidemic and be aggressive with their clean-up campaign.
I remember long time, every so often meaning twice or three times a year, the 'mosquito people' (that's what I called them) used to come around and spray the area in the villages, put the powder thing in your water tank outside to kill any mosquitoes who found their way in there and so forth. Nobody asked them to come, but they came, just like Courts to repossess your furniture, they showed up one day and did their thing.
Obviously it was some programme in the government at the time to maybe prevent water borne diseases and mosquitoes, something! Why don't they do that any more? I don't remember the last time I saw someone come around from the health authority or whichever branch of the government to do those things. Maybe the practices are no longer condoned by international health standards but something else needs to be put into place!
The government needs to get out there. Work with the councillors in the towns and villages, especially the areas that have the highest cases of dengue to find vacant lots that need to be cleaned and get a campaign together and start working on eradicating the dengue virus through prevention more than treatment cause we doctors need help, I sorry! Don't wait on citizens to call. We want to build a thousand and one building to reach a first world status but we can't beat dengue?
Take the matter into your own hands as the government and move pro-actively. That will save face in the eyes of the nation A LOT BETTER than crying how the PM sick. Sick? Go clean your yard Prime Minister, is your fault you got dengue. That's the advice we got from the Health Authority and we are giving it to you.
So, my question today, apart from all that is, do you think that the ending of the CEPEP program has now caused us more trouble as we are ultimately reaping the rewards of higher dengue cases due to lack of a clean environment?
Leh meh hear yuh nah?!
Trinbagonian Baby
Dealing with real, everyday issues in Trinidad and Tobago today.
