FIRST WORD
WE ALL NEED TO BE AS CONFIDENT AS I AM THAT THE MOSQUITOES WILL MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES healthier places to live.
World Mosquito Programme had several messages for the members of the public during the Bula Wolbachia Day celebrations in Lautoka on Saturday. Residents of the Lautoka and Nadi area were urged to host several environment clean-up campaigns and encouraged to clean up their compounds.
Acting Senior Health Inspector for the Nadi Town Council Nafiza Ali said the council and the WMP had a shared vision to help make communities a healthier place to live. “Part of our mission as a council is to promote good health and welfare for our current and future generations and over the years we have run several environment clean-up campaigns where we encourage community members to clean up their compounds, taking special care in removing any waste likely to retain water and harbour mosquitoes,” said Ms Ali. “So when w e met with the WMP team earlier this year and learned of the wonders of the Wolbachia method and how it helps reduce dengue, chikungunya and Zika, we supported this initiative which aligns with our own mission.”
She said there has already been an outpouring support from the community support in Nadi. “Speaking to my community, I’ve gathered that people are strongly supportive of this method. We wish the WMP Fiji team all the best as they prepare to release, for the first time, Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes in Nadi and Lautoka.” One of Lautoka’s most prominent and respecte d Namoli village headman and Chair for WMP CRG Group, Lautoka Joji Satala also reiterated his support in welcoming Wolbachia to the Western Division.
He was confident in the Wolbachia method and encouraged communities to become aware of and comfortable with the innovation.
“It is important that we are correctly informed and we understand the reason for the work being done in and around our homes,” Mr Satala said.
“We all need to be as confident as I am that the mosquitoes will make our communities healthier places to live.”
It is important that we are correctly informed and we understand the reason for the work being done in and around our homes. Joji Satala Chair for WMP CRG Group, Lautoka
The event was attended by members of WMP’s Community Reference Group (CRG), an independent body representing views and interests of the local community and was encouraged to ask more questions in the lead up to the WMP’s release of Wolbachia carrying mosquitoes in Nadi and Lautoka. Meanwhile, the team is currently speaking with local communities and organisations across Nadi and Lautoka as it prepares to release Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes in the coming months.
Edited by Susana Tuilau