Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef today said that the community must cooperate to prevent the resurgence of eradicated diseases.
Speaking at the launch of the national campaign “Protect from Mosquitoes”, Hussain said the resurgence of eradicated diseases would create public worry.
“The most important thing today is to show the cooperation of citizens to overcome this situation. We have shown such cooperation in the past,” he said.
Hussain stressed the need to reduce mosquito breeding grounds and pay special attention to hygiene to prevent mosquito-borne diseases and stay healthy.
Speaking at the ceremony, Health Minister Dr. Abdulla Khaleel urged the community to give priority to eradicating mosquito breeding grounds.
"Mosquitoes are causing dangerous diseases like Zika and dengue. Some people have lost their loved ones to dengue. So this shows the importance of mosquito eradication," he stated.
The clean-up campaign is being conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and government agencies.
Male', Hulhumale', Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi will be cleaned up during the campaign launched following the resurgence of filariasis in Maldives.
The first case of filariasis, a disease thought to have been eradicated from the Maldives, was detected among migrant workers residing in Kulhudhuffushi during a screening program conducted to mark World AIDS Day.
Filariasis is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) certified Maldives as having eradicated the disease, which declared that filaria either affected less than one percent of the population or no longer posed a threat to public health.
The last case of filaria was reported in 2004 in Laamu atoll Fonadhoo. The residents were given medicine for five years.
