One Thousand Vector Control Aides have been trained, certified and temporarily employed as community Vector Control Aides by the HEART-NTA and the Ministry of Health. The Vector Control Aides were on Saturday (December 10) certified having successfully completed an eight (8) week training programme which represents part of the Ministry of Health’s response to tackle the Zika virus in Jamaica.
Speaking at the Presentation of Certificates and Awards ceremony held at the Jamaica Conference Centre, Minister of Health, Dr. Chris Tufton said that through the efforts of these Vector Control Aides there has been a decline in the infection rate of Zika.
Tufton noted that the Vector Control Aides have been instrumental in the distribution of educational material in communities island wide by going house to house to speak to residents about mosquito breeding sites as well as engaging in house inspections.
The first case of zika virus in Jamaica was confirmed on January 29, 2016. Since then the Ministry of Health has been ramping up efforts to combat the virus.
Programme Manager for the National Vector Control Programme and Medical Entomologist in the Ministry of Health, Sherine Huntley-Jones said that given the small number of permanent staff the Minister has on hand it was important for them to recruit these individuals.
In the situation of an outbreak you want to increase the number of persons that you have on the ground taking action and implementing your interventions hence why we went with the employment of these 1000 personsSherine Huntley-Jones
HEART-NTA who played an instrumental role in the process provided training for the participants in the programme who had classroom sessions that lasted eight full days followed by on the ground training in their various communities. They did in course assessment, a final assessment in the form of a written exam and a field assessment.
Each participants received an official certificate from HEART-NTA that allows them to work in Vector Control in Jamaica and worldwide as a certified Vector Control Aide.
The Vector Control Aides will, among other things, be responsible for clean-up of the communities; identify and destroy mosquito breeding sites; distribute mosquito bed nets to pregnant households, and conduct community Zik-V surveys.
Tufton said that the the Ministry will continue to work with this batch of individuals as they do not only envision them working in or with vector control.
These Vector Control Aides will receive further training but they may not do vector control again, they may do something in nursing or something relating to the community health aideDr. Chris Tufton
The programme which was initially slated to run for eight weeks will be extended until February 2017.
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