The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Communications, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, launched a campaign, titled "Stop", aimed at educating the public on how to prevent and stop the spread of dengue fever.The campaign would officially begin on Tuesday with a series of radio commercials, featuring Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan.
The campaign was launched yesterday at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain.Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Communications, Nicole Dyer-Griffith, said it was created to encourage public collaboration with the Government in initiatives to stop and eventually eradicate dengue.
Dyer-Griffith said the first radio commercial would premiere at 5 pm on Tuesday and would play simultaneously on all radio stations.She said the message was designed to appeal to the "collective sense of community responsibility in eradicating dengue."
Dyer-Griffith said the commercials would include very specific points from a primary and secondary response level.She said the primary response level would include measures that could be used to prevent the spread of dengue.Dyer-Griffith said the secondary response level included how to spot symptoms of dengue fever and where and when to get treatment.
She said the campaign would educate the public on clean- up methods to prevent mosquito breeding and other steps which could be taken to prevent dengue in communities.Minister Khan said the campaign was aimed to educate the public on the small and simple ways they could prevent dengue.
He said awareness was the first step to preventing dengue.Khan said the campaign soon would be featured on social networking sites, such as YouTube, to encourage the nation's youth to do their part.