Chief of Department for Environmental Health and Sanitation Vigilance, Tomasia de Sousa, says the prevention of dengue fever is not only the responsibility of Ministry of Health (MS), but the responsibility of all people. She said the MS had tried hard to promote health for the community but its success was dependent on everyone’s efforts to prevent their family and community from contracting the sicknesses.
“Every year we raise awareness and remind all people to prevent themselves from any diseases in relation to the rainy season including dengue,” said Chief of Department de Souza, in Kaikoli, Dili.
She said Dili was at risk of dengue because people dump rubbish haphazardly, allowing mosquitoes to breed. The ministry’s efforts to prevent dengue includes a program to visit homes to add antibiotics to water tanks, decreasing the amount of mosquito eggs in the water, as well as programs to raise awareness of the disease and fumigate problem areas to control the insects.
She said in 2014 the teams from MS have put antibiotics into water tanks of about 10 houses and have fumigated more than 700 suburbs. Meanwhile, Member of Commission F for education, health, culture, veteran and gender equality affairs, MP Eladio Faculto, said every year community members – particularly children – were affected by dengue and diarrhea.
According to him, dengue is a serious disease therefore the government must consider prevention before the rainy season, especially in relation to keeping the environment clean.
“Their prevention is not at the right time,” MP Faculto said.
“Sometimes they take preventative action only after people have dengue.
”It’s not good; prevention is not fumigation only.”
He said to keep people safe and healthy, the government should have proposed an urban development policy to keep the environment clean, to prevent people building homes and dumping rubbish haphazardly.
