Manpower to Host Zika Virus Seminar

In what is being hailed as a part of the "private sector's response" to the threat of the Zika virus to Jamaica, Manpower & Maintenance Services Limited (MMS) in partnership with Agro Grace Limited, will tomorrow conduct a seminar entitled: Zika virus: Vector Management and Control - Impact on the Workforce, for a number of MMS' private sector partners and clients at its headquarters in Kingston.

The seminar, according to Chief Executive Officer of Manpower & Maintenance Services Limited and Caribbean Health Management Consultants, Audrey Hinchcliffe, "is to increase awareness about the disease in an effort to minimise its impact on the workforce, should it actually begin to take root in Jamaica." A similar seminar was also held during the outbreak of the Chikungunya (Chik V) virus in Jamaica in 2014.

Hinchcliffe said Manpower's primary objective is to "Ensure that there is proper education concerning the virus and overall pest infestation and disease control." This, she said, is "vital if the business sector is to play a meaningful role in minimising fear, while taking proactive steps to lessen the spread of the disease on the island."

The seminar is being o rganised primarily for Manpower's clients and partners who straddle a wide cross-section of areas including hospitals and other healthcare facilities, ports of entry, business and other enterprises as well as private homes. Hinchcliffe said, "While urgent action is needed from government who must take the lead in this initiative, action is also needed from the private sector as well as every Jamaican citizen, since we are all responsible for reducing infestation and infection."

Co-sponsored by Agro Grace Limited, the seminar will cover a wide variety of subject areas including: The Epidemiology of Vector Borne Diseases; public education, surveillance and control measures; pesticides and cultural practices; eco-friendly services among others.

The recent outbreak of the ChikV virus in Jamaica, Hinchcliffe said, "should have taught us many lessons and the seriousness of the approach by local, regional and international health authorities to the Zika virus should also send a clear message that we must be proactive and make a united effort to ensure that we formulate effective strategies to address these health issues before they disrupt the life of the nation."

Presenters include representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica. A panel discussion with representatives from the Port Authority, the Airports Authority; the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency; the hotel and tourism sector as well as MMS is also scheduled.