Environmental health symposium to aid in pandemic readiness

Environmental health officers, inspectors and assistants from the ten administrative regions, are currently receiving training in water purification, the use of the dela aqua kit and environmental health manual.

The officers are benefitting from a one-week Environmental Health Symposium being hosted at the health ministry’s headquarters on Brickdam.

At the launching on Monday, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony said due to climate change there has been an increase in health concerns, hence the need for better a surveillance system.

The ministry is also working on improving pandemic preparedness and this symposium is expected to aid in achieving this goal.

“Pandemic preparedness means that we have to develop the ability to know when things jump from animal population into the human population and to be able to detect them early,” the health minister explained.

He further noted that the new public health legislation being drafted includes the development of the Environmental Health Unit in keeping with the requisite standards.

The minister added that, “We will probably have to look at those who show some amount of promise, how we can work with them and put them in a course that can bring them up to the level of an environmental health officer so there is a career path upwards,” the minister noted.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Narine Singh and Principal Environmental Health Officer, Bonita McDonald were also in attendance.