Project Bug Out has joined forces with the Virgin Gorda community to minimise the breeding of mosquitoes on the island.

The public private partnership was established to chart the path towards mosquito eradication on Virgin Gorda. Two town meetings were held last week and a clean-up was mobilised on Saturday, March 12 as part of efforts to rid the island of mosquito breeding sites.

Sister Islands Coordinator, Mr. Vincent Wheatley said that the meetings were well attended and served their main purpose of informing the community that the project exists, its objectives and plan of action.

“We were extremely satisfied with the level of turnout to the clean-up on Saturday.  The community was supportive and we look forward to even greater support in the near future,” Mr. Wheatley said.

Manager at Eustatia Island and the project’s steering committee chair, Mr. Jonathan Oakes, said that it is up to everyone to take care of their neighborhood, health and their families.  

The project is highlighting five major components including community education and empowerment, breeding site reduction, community clean ups, surveillance and monitoring, mosquito abatement and evaluation.

Special appreciation is extended to the Tourist Board, Department of Waste Management, Bregado Flax Primary and Secondary Divisions, Valley Day and Ciboney Centre for Excellence.

The ‘Project Bug Out’ partnership is part of efforts to reduce the potential impact of the Zika Virus and other vector borne illnesses on Virgin Gorda.

The project’s steering committee is comprised of community members from private, pubic and non-government sectors and will seek to ensure that all residents of Virgin Gorda and surrounding cays are aware of the immediate measures that they can take to support mosquito eradication.   

The Ministry of Health and Social Development is committed to ensuring that all aspects of the environment with the potential to negatively impact the health of the population are managed efficiently to enable all persons in the BVI to attain and maintain optimal health and well-being.