Interviews by Tiffny Rhodius and photographs by Jules Gibson
This week we asked the man and the woman in the street if they are affected by mosquitoes in their area. Below are their responses:
Shellon Fraser, private sector employee: ‘I live in Station Street, Kitty and at this time the mosquito problem is very, very bad. Where I live there is an alleyway behind my house and it is blocked up and bushy. It is not cleaned and this contributes to the mosquito growth. I think that there should be drain cleaning once a week or twice a month. There should be fogging too. There used to be fogging but it needs to be done more often. However, there needs to be more warning when there is fogging so that persons can cover down their things and pick up their clothes and stay inside because there is a bad smell that is left after. Mosquitoes follow a lot of things so I keep my surroundings clean and tidy so that I will not be too affected by mosquitoes and get infected with whatever they are carrying.’
Dennis Chabrol, journalist: ‘I’m in Kingston and the mosquito situation is awful, terrible. I communicated my concerns to the Health Ministry which said that fogging material was provided to the city council and I haven’t seen fogging so far. I had to go by Caribbean Chemicals to buy my own chemicals to spray my area and in the alleyway and that is how I got relief these past two days. They have got to clean the alleys. They have got to help the citizens so the citizens can help themselves. They can’t be shifting. The least the City Hall can do is respond to inquiries in a timely manner and work along with people.’
Vibert Nurse, senior citizen: ‘I’m a Campbellville resident and the mosquitoes in that area are very provocative and fatiguing for my existence. Day and night they are bothering you. And nothing is being done. Many years ago there used to be fogging, now a lot of things are deteriorating in these times. I don’t know what the reason is. I have to sleep with nets just to avoid them bothering me and you don’t know what is biting you so I use repellent.’
Edna Henry, trainee teacher: ‘I am from Industry and in the evenings they come out plenty. The area does not have proper drainage systems so they are breeding. I use mosquito coils and sleep with netting to avoid them. I think there should be more spraying in the area because I have not noticed anything being done there.’
L. Johnson, retiree: ‘To me when they have this heavy shower of rain you have an army of mosquitoes descending on you eating up everything they can find. Then there are some big like donkey and then you see some they are so small you wonder if it is the plague. There use to be fogging some years ago. I remember one time when I was a student at UG and we were doing research when a fog team pass through and to the best of my calculations that thing can kill people I don’t know how it is not killing the mosquitoes. I live in Ogle Front Road.’
Dianne Maloney, medical student at UG: ‘I live in Providence and in the evening time they descend on us in a drove. Currently this security company GEB is constructing a building in the area but they blocked up the drains by building a driveway and I think this is contributing to the problem. Something or someone should look into this. I am also worried about mosquito-borne diseases that some of these insects can spread.’
Belinda Ali, housewife: ‘I live in Plaisance. The mosquito situation there is terrible enough. I think that they should come out and fog the place. Then the drains too are stagnant and that too should be cleaned because it is making the situation bad and there are persons who have babies and who worry about illness the mosquito is spreading.’
Jeneve, housewife: ‘I live in Broad Street, Charlestown and mosquito there is more than is bearable. It is unbearable. You cannot stand for a minute it’s all over your feet. The drains have a lot of grass growing in them and the parts of the drains that are cleaned, the parts with the grass block up the flow and the water remains stagnant. And I don’t see the mosquito control people now. I saw them a few times treating the water and doing their thing but I haven’t seen them in a while. Then there are the people who are dumping garbage in the drains. I try as much to clean up my area and I clean my drains. I am worried about the sickness that these things carry and the May/June rains means that there will be more of them. I think we need to get all the drains cleaned so that the water can flow and there will be no place for a breeding ground and if people can stop dumping in the drains that will help. We need to keep the place clean and there will be no mosquitoes. It is everybody’s business.’
Trevon Nedd, private sector employee: ‘I’m from Plaisance. I live around the backdam area. Well you have to get nets and coil because you cannot get a proper rest with them thing. But it is not as bad as in places like Berbice.
I don’t know if there is fogging because I am not home a lot but I think it would be a good idea. Also, the drains need cleaning since the backdam floods and the water takes time to run off and this contributes to the mosquito build up.’
Orwayne Pique, private sector employee: ‘I live on the East Ruimveldt Front Road and if I have to rate on a scale of 1-10 the mosquito population in my area I’d give it a 12. It’s like you expect them in the afternoon or the evening right but they are there all day, every day. You have to use a bug zapper or a piece of cloth to kill them fans and coils and sprays don’t work you have to literally destroy them from fatiguing you.
The last fog exercise in my area was about four or six months ago. Another one is long overdue. I am still to see anything being done in my area. When the place is fogged the chemicals control the mosquitoes for the night but they come back. They should be fogging more often. I would say the contributing factors would be the cemetery which is always under water, the canals which don’t run and have people squatting on them. There is an overwhelming mosquito population in my area.’