PM: "Despite the virus being recorded on St. Maarten the island is safe for residents and visitors and Government is focusing considerable effort in controlling the disease"
The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams on Friday informed the population on the state of affairs regarding the Chikungunya Virus and its effects on the population of the Country.
The Prime Minister explained Government’s response to the virus and the cooperation currently on-going with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The PM informed that the Chikungunya, or CHIKV virus which is carried by the same mosquito that carries the dengue virus, is being addressed extensively by Government: "The Government of St. Maarten has an emergency response team that is constantly assessing the situation and regularly updates various institutions regarding how to address the issue. Although the virus was first established on French St. Martin as the old saying goes the gale does not stop at the frontier and definitely mosquitoes do not stop. There are now established cases on St. Maarten and our medical health sector is working very closely with PAHO and WHO on the best ways to combat the virus and keep St. Maarten healthy for its Residents and Visitors. WHO Virologist dr. Glen Washington is also assisting the country with the response and the Council of Ministers is being updated on the developments," emphasized the Prime Minister.
The PM also highlighted that communication and cooperation is essential in the widespread responds to the virus. "The focus right now is not only on communicating the steps which can be taken by all individuals to combat the virus but also important is the message stressing cooperation across the board. The emphasis is on all Ministries working together to understand the potential of this disease if left unchecked. In addition to that the individual responsibility, while we should not be pushing the panic button, we should all share the responsibility as far as curbing the spread of the Chikungunya virus. Government will be engaging the community councils in coordinating wide scale neighborhood cleanups where potential breeding areas for the mosquitoes can be eliminated. There is also a specific role for our Minister of VROMI and Minister of Tourism and economic affairs," commented the PM.
Prime Minister Wescot-Williams also stressed that the travel advisory, which was issued by the United States Department of State, is part of procedure once a transmissible virus such as Dengue and Chikungunya are concerned. "The advisories are not to push the panic button but are related to the reporting and advisory obligations. Despite the virus being recorded on St. Maarten the island is safe for residents and visitors and Government is focusing considerable effort in controlling the disease," ended Wescot-Williams.