St. Vincent and the Grenadines is currently in the midst of a Dengue outbreak which has seen a total of 514 laboratory confirmed cases and 6 Vincentian lives lost. In response to this, some have made the call for the nation’s students to be kept at home to safeguard them from the virus. However this country’s Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says that he, as well as the health professionals believe that it is better for them to be at school than at home.
“It is my view, and it is the view of the health professionals, those I have spoken to. It is better to have the children at school with these matters. If you’re at home the mosquitoes do not go on vacation.” Gonsalves said.
The Prime Minister went on to say that in the event of a child falling ill, the teachers will be able to take action in order to get the ill student to a clinic.
“If there’s an emergency, you can get them very quickly to a clinic, within walking distance or a 5 minute drive maximum. They have temperature checks; they do all the various things, what the teachers are trained to do to help to look after those that are in their care.”
Gonsalves said that if the children are left at home, there would be no one there to look after them in the event that they fall ill and that they will still be susceptible to mosquito bites.
“But if you go to work, and you leave your child at home and they mosquito gone there and bite them, the child is not even thinking about drinking a lot of liquids or taking a paracetamol, or going to the clinic, and you may come home and meet your child very sick, rather than in the care of somebody at school, you’ll have mature eyes helping to look after the children.”
