Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho during the launch of the county fogging programme on Monday. [Photo: Hassan Joho/ facebook.com]
The Mombasa County Government on Monday launched a Sh15 million fogging programme following an outbreak of the Chikungunya virus in the coastal city.Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho flagged off five vehicles fitted with modern fogging machines which will be used in fighting the disease spread in the county.Speaking to journalists during the launch in Mombasa Town, Joho said the five vehicles will be used to spray all the 6 sub-counties starting with Changamwe and Mvita which are the worst hit by the virus.Joho said public health officials will target areas where the virus was reported such as Jomvu Island and Changamwe to rid them of the mosquitoes which carry the virus and end the spread of the disease.“Vector control will effectively deal with chikungunya. We hope this 10-day operation will fully eradicate chikungunya and dengue fever if possible and significantly reduce the number of malaria cases,” said Joho.“We have put measures in place to ensure we bring back order in terms of sanitation. We have procured enough equipment and chemicals to help us in this fight,” he added.According to the Governor, the insecticide being sprayed is not harmful to humans and is designed to kill mosquitoes and prevent them from breeding.“We kindly urge the residents to cooperate with our teams on the ground, especially in locating mosquito breeding zones,” he added.So far 40 cases of chikungunya virus have been reported in the county.Joho has asked residents to use other preventive measures at home such use of mosquito nets, draining stagnant water and clearing bushes around their compounds as a way of fighting the disease.Is there a newsworthy accident, incident or event happening in Mombasa County that you want Hivisasa to cover? Tell us what is happening by joining this group and have it published. http://bit.ly/2BipYa6