BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – TODAY (Apr. 7) is World Health Day and renowned health organisations, including the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), are focusing on vector-borne diseases within the Americas, the Caribbean region and the Western Hemisphere.
According to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), roughly 50 percent of people living in the Western Hemisphere are at risk of one or more diseases carried by mosquitoes, ticks, flies and other vectors, including West Nile Virus, dengue, malaria and, most recently, chikungunya.
In a “call to action” for World Health Day 2014, top health experts from North and South America and the Caribbean are urging greater efforts by governments, communities and individuals to control the spread of these and other vector-borne diseases.
“Our region has achieved many successes in controlling vector-borne diseases,” said the Director of the PAHO/WHO, Dr. Carissa F. Etienne. “However, this success is being threatened by the expansion of mosquitoes and other vectors into new habitats and by the emergence of insecticide and drug resistance. PAHO and its partners are today calling for stepped-up action in the fight against vector-borne diseases in the Americas.”
However, Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tom Frieden called for greater collaborative effort in finding new diseases and treatment for such in an effective manner.
“We as a world are in some ways more vulnerable than ever…and that means that we as a world need to collaborate more effectively than ever so we can build the capacity to find new diseases, outbreaks and threats wherever they emerge promptly, and respond effectively.”
In North America, the vector-borne diseases with major public health impact include malaria, dengue, Chagas disease, Schistosomiasis, West Nile Virus and Lyme disease.
According to PAHO, the latest vector-borne disease to establish itself in the region is the chikungunya virus, which was first reportedly found in St. Maarten/St. Martin in December with two cases. However, by the end of March 2014, more than 3 000 cases have been confirmed in 10 Caribbean countries.
“Chikungunya does not often result in death, but the joint pains and stiffness may last for months and even years,” Jamaica’s Minister of Health Fenton Ferguson said.
He added that governments and communities should focus their attention on prevention and control efforts on reducing the density of mosquito populations.
Reiterating her organisations’ call to action, Dr. Etienne said that in addition to governments, action should be taken by communities, individuals and donors toward further progress and to face future threats from vector-borne diseases.
“Everyone has a role to play,” she added.
