Vector control surveillance in the Territory was further strengthened with the hosting of a training workshop for the staff at the Environmental Health Division.

Chief Environmental Health Officer, Mr. Lionel Michael said the workshop provided advanced techniques that would capture a better idea of vector control.

Mr. Michael said, “We were able to assess the Territory’s infrastructure and facilities, evaluate our competencies for Insecticide Resistance Testing (IRT) and develop national guidelines for medically important species such as the Aedes Aegypti which is the carrier of the Zika Virus and other diseases.”

The session was held earlier this month and was organised by the European Union (EU) and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) under the 10^th European Development Fund (EDF) programme. The EDF programme yields support for health systems, strengthening for prevention and response, to outbreaks of Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases in the Caribbean.

Mr. Michael said that the overall goal was to implement the national guidelines that would determine best practices to keep the mosquito population down and reduce the likelihood of residents contracting mosquito-borne diseases.

The Ministry of Health and Social Development aspires to provide a caring and integrated system of health and social services that facilitates human development and the quality of life in the British Virgin Islands.