Education and Health Ministries Meet before 2014-15 Academic Year - How to Stop Chikungunya Virus spread by Aedes aegypti Mosquito among Children

“(The) meeting is scheduled for…us to be able to issue clear directives to all our Principals in all schools”

Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites speaking at the Ministry’s Region Three Office Back to School Conference at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort in Ocho Rios, St Ann, on Friday, August 15^th, 2014

At this point, I think Jamaica needs to start sounding the Air Raid alarms!

This as now even Canada has issued a travel advisory for persons visiting any of the 28 Caribbean Countries infected with the Chikungunya Virus as stated in “Canada issues Chikungunya warning to travellers”, published Monday, August 18, 2014 9:48 AM, The Jamaica Observer.

Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites, sensing a coming panic on Monday September 1^st 2014 as the start of the 2014/15 Academic Year, has scheduled to meet with representatives of the Ministry of Health on Tuesday August 19^th 2014 to discuss this very obvious problem as stated in the article “Health, Education ministries discuss chikungunya threat to schools”, published Saturday, August 16, 2014 2:46 PM, The Jamaica Observer.

You can get the 411 directly from the Horse’s mouth, the Jamaica Information Service in the article “Chikungunya Prevention Strategies to be Developed for Schools”, published August 18, 2014 By Marlon Tingling, The Jamaica Information Service.

He made that announcement at the Ministry’s Region Three Office Back to School Conference at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort in Ocho Rios, St Ann, on Friday, August 15^th, 2014. For those keeping score, that’s the day that we hit 10 infected, even as Trinidad and Tobago has 80 infected as noted in my blog article entitled “10 Cases of Chikungunya Virus in Jamaica – How a Hurricane coming December 2014 will accelerate its spread”.

Which probably explains why Yendi Philllips and Simone Clarke Cooper are decked out in school Uniforms and School Gear as Television Jamaica on Tuesday August 19^th 2014, trying to get children happy about going to school and getting the Chikungunya Virus …..er, that is to say a sound education….. as shown below!

Makes sense as the Chikungunya Virus is at the alledged Simone Clarke Cooper’s home parish of St. Ann!

Possibly Television Jamaica was made aware by the Minister of Education and the Ministry of Health of the panic among parents in sending their children to school, as the News came by way of the Jamaica Information Service. This is how the Traditional Media even knew of the Tuesday August 19^th 2014 Meeting, by the way!

Latest PAHO Stats on Chikungunya Virus – The Virus loves the French in Dominican Republic

That News release also included some Stats from PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) Stats as of Friday August 1^st 2014 helps to bring home the extent of the Chikungunya Virus spread in the Caribbean:

1.      508,122 suspected cases

2.      4,736 confirmed as locally transmitted

3.      535confirmed as imported cases

4.      32 deaths confirmed

The Chikungunya Virus is running amok in Central and South America and surprisingly in the US of A. Not surprisingly one of the two largest Caribbean islands, the Dominican Republic, has the largest set of New cases of the Chikungunya Virus since Friday August 1^st 2014, 26,012 in total based on PAHO Stats.

That's 68.45% of the 38,000 Total New Cases in the Caribbean, making Haiti Ground Zero in terms of the Chikungunya Virus Spread. Since Disease knows no nationality, it’s probably rampant in Haiti as I’d pointed out from the very beginning before the Chikungunya Virus came to Jamaica in my first blog article entitled “Ministry of Health gearing up for Chikungunya Virus Epidemic - Aedes Aegypti Mosquito loves the French as it Island-Hops to Jamaica”, making this virus a French affair.

I’d also predicted it will be coming to Jamaica via the boatload of Haitians continue to flee their impoverished country and come to Jamaica. I do love to boast of the accuracy of my predictions, but this time I just hate it that I’m right.

So what’s the Plan, Minister of Education and the Ministry of Health?

Education and Health Meet – Stopping an Epidemic in Jamaica with a Mosquito problem

BOTH the Minister of Education and the Ministry of Health are aware that their valiant ploy to make children unaware that there isn’t a problem isn’t gonna work. Already observant 10 year olds may have begun noticing that their parents are packing up bottles of DEET and Citronella Oil, packing it into their knapsacks and also encouraging rubbing it on as often as they can.

As much as I’m predicting otherwise, this may become the next big thing on the High School or College playground; who’s got the biggest bottle of DEET and the latest brand of Citronella Oil!

Still, they’ll also notice an increased tendency among parents to stock up on Mosquito Destroyers among downtown people in Kingston and St. Andrew, albeit they’re bad for you, especially the Black Coil Destroyer as noted in my Geezam blog article entitled “How to make Environmentally Friendly Citronella (Lemon Grass) Oil for Mosquito Repellant Lotion and Candles”.

Citronella Oil Candles and Oil sales will eventually start to pick up among the more affluent in society, being as Destroyers are not their thing. All in a valiant attempt to kill the Aedes Aegypti Mosquito and make children and parents happy about going back to School.

What’s worse, it’s going to spread even faster once the Caribbean Nationals start milling in to take up their residence on the Hall of Residence at UWI, Mona Campus and possibly even at UTECH.

That means it’s only a matter of time before it comes to the Rural areas when the UWI and UTECH students on Hall travel home back to their parents…with the gift of Chikungunya Virus travelling in their blood ready for the Aedes Aegypti Mosquito to bite you and spread to your family and the rest of your community. It’s already in the following parishes:

1.      Kingston and St. Andrew

2.      St. Thomas

3.      St. Catherine

4.      St. Ann

So the most that the Minister of Education and the Ministry of Health is advise that regular fogging with Malathion be done each morning before school starts at all schools in the affected parishes.

The UWI (University of the West Indies) had fogged their Campus and the surrounding community on Tuesday August 12^th 2014, being as one of the cases of local spread was possibly a Post Doctoral Student based on my sources as per my blog article entitled “UWI reports Staffer with Chikungunya Virus - Ground Zero for Islandwide Infection as it'll spread wild once Small Island Students Return”.

Preferably at 6am sharp before 8am start of school, as you don’t want a repeat of the respiratory problems that plagued Ocho Rios High School in St Ann that occurred on Tuesday November 19^th 2013 as reported in my blog article entitled “Ministry of Health attempted murder of Ocho Rios High School in St Ann by spraying Malathion - Malathion Spraying and Destroyers ban needed and Citronella Candles and Education introduced”.

Aedes Aegypti Mosquito Vector – Remove their Breeding Grounds and disease won’t spread

Covering Drums and containers of Water at High Schools, Colleges and Universities is going to be a tall order, especially as so many ponds and gullies where water gathers exists. A National Drain Cleaning program, akin to what would be done before a hurricane needs to be implemented to clean all drains islandwide.

Garbage collection will now have to be a regular thing. This as garbage bins gather water, creating a breeding ground for Aedes Aegypti Mosquito, they’ll have to emptied daily and across the Entire Island, not just schools alone. Mosquito Nets will also become a thing for women with babies, as they’ll want to protect their child for getting a horrible rash as DEET or Citronella Oil just isn’t for the gentle skin of babies!

Remember, it only takes one bite from an Aedes Aegypti Mosquito infected with the Chikungunya Virus to contract the disease and show symptoms within seven (7) days. Thus DEET, Citronella Oil and Mosquito Nets will only work if used regularly.

Likewise preventing the Aedes Aegypti Mosquito breeding is only possible if it’s done in earnest before a possible Hurricane in December 2014 as predicted in my blog article entitled “ESA's Swarm Says the Earth's Magnetic Field is Weakening - How Weakening Magnetic Field results in hotter Summer Days and Hurricanes in Christmas 2014”.

Using my herbal remedy which I’d developed through experimentation on myself is only a last resort as described in my blog article entitled “How to fight Illness including Chikungunya Virus using Spices - US$40 Joseph Joseph SpiceStore Carousel helps you organize”, as you really don’t want to wait until your child has swollen joints and a rash. Still, I’d recommend that you stock up on the ingredients as mentioned in my blog article above and get your Mortar and Pestle and a Water Bath for Extracting Herbal Essences from these Herbs ready should it come to that.

This as despite the concern of Minister of Education and the Ministry of Health, this disease has no official cure, forcing many Jamaicans to be become their own Apothecary.