School principals have been urged to allow students to wear light-colored long pants/tights and long-sleeved tops when classes resume early next month amidst the dengue outbreak in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Ministry of Education said that schools should also facilitate the reduction of the breeding of mosquitoes at school by discarding stagnant water collected in containers around the school compound and covering stored water properly.
In a statement, the ministry said it was working closely with the Ministry of Health to address the ongoing dengue fever outbreak and that the Surveillance Committee of the Ministry of Health has since declared the current increase in dengue fever as an epidemic.
There are 542 laboratory-confirmed cases of dengue fever as of August 22, with cases being reported in all health districts, with the cases being in persons in the age group of 0-33 years.
The Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which carries the dengue fever virus, typically bites during the daytime hours when persons are active. Therefore, bites can occur at home, work and school.
In view of the current situation, the Ministry of Education is also recommending reduced rubbish and overgrown bush around the school. Principals are also being asked to open schools to allow increased effectiveness of fogging by the Vector Control Unit.
“We urge all schools to implement the recommended measures and encourage parents and guardians to support these efforts by educating their children about Dengue prevention and ensuring that they take the necessary precautions.”
A dengue outbreak in 2021 claimed at least seven lives, most of them children.
