The local Environmental Health department is benefiting from a recent visit of two doctors from Public Health England (PHE).
Dr Jolyon Medlock, Head of Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology and Alexander Vaux, Medical Entomologist, Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology visited Montserrat on February 2 to 3, 2017. They worked with Chief Environmental Officer Gareth Stanley who told the media last Friday, that the exchange was mutually beneficial.
Stanley said the entomologists showed the local team how to identify other types of mosquitoes. They also provided a GIS-based collection app which will help the officers map from the field.
The PHE team provided training in mosquito vector surveillance for key arbovirus vectors such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. They added that it has been useful to understand what methods are used locally to fight the tropical mosquitoes. The United Kingdom saw the arrival of the Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in 2016 and has managed to get it under control.
While on island the men presented a seminar on Insects and our Society. The general message being that the Aedes Aegypti mosquito which carries the Zika virus, Dengue and Chikungunya are living at the expense of humans. Every member of the community has the responsibility to make it more difficult for these insects to survive and thrive.
Both Medlock and Vaux were visiting Montserrat as part of a wider tour of Overseas Territories including Anguilla, St. Maarten and Bermuda. The entomologists are also collaborating with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) to ensure there is conformity between local and regional strategies for vector control.
