Residents of Halls Road, St Michael, are worried about what they consider to be a significant increase in the number of mosquitoes in the area.
And they have called for the Ministry of Health to fog the surrounding areas more frequently.
Earlier this week, Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George confirmed there were two dengue-related deaths on the island, including an eight-year-old girl.
When a team from Barbados TODAY visited the community, several residents voiced their concern over the sudden increase in mosquitoes.
Darnley Dowell, who runs a bar in the neighbourhood, said he believed the nearby canal was harbouring mosquitoes.
He said while he was doing everything possible to keep them at bay, frequent fogging would help the situation.
“They are plentiful around here to tell the truth. I does try to keep all the utensils turn down to keep away any water but we get them plentiful. The canal itself got a lot of them due to the lot of rainfall that we have now and the mosquitoes breeding fast. On a night you have to really cover down or else you would find yourself bite up and scratching at your skin all of the time,” Dowell said.
“We would really like the fog machine to pass at least once or twice a week because nuff children out here too and this thing could be serious. You can’t stop them but you have to do a little spraying to get them control.
“Having the little shop here on a night I would take in a little spray and that would keep them away but otherwise, there isn’t much more I can do,” he added.
Another resident who asked to remain anonymous said he was relying on insect repellant to keep the mosquitoes away.
“Basically I’ve been using a lot of insect repellant just to keep the mosquitoes away and keeping the windows closed too,” he said.
A third concerned resident said he hoped the removal of some bush in the area would alleviate some of the mosquito problems.
He said he was also paying special attention to his environs.
“I am using the insecticides but in recent times there have been a lot of mosquitoes in the area and we are very concerned about it. I try to eliminate any water that I find in my yard to eliminate the mosquitoes. So far we’re making sure that there is no water settling around the area and we using our Bop and incense to keep away the mosquitoes,” he noted.
One woman told Barbados TODAY she was “spraying the house, burning mosquito coil and emptying all containers that got in water”.
The Chief Medical Officer said while dengue fever remains a concern, there was “no rise beyond the threshold level” for the month of December.
Dr George, however, urged residents to play a role in helping to stop the outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease, while assuring them that dengue surveillance was being given “special attention” by health officials. (RB)
