The Undersecretary of the (Tripoli-based Libyan) Ministry of Health for Hospital Affairs, Saad El-Din Abdel-Wakeel, discussed yesterday with the president of the American Chamber of Commerce Libya (AmCham), Debbie Hirst, and a representative of the American pest control and health protection company, Orkin International, coordinating efforts to benefit from their international expertise in the success of national programmes to combat vector-borne diseases.
Vector-Borne Disease are diseases or illnesses that result from an infection transmitted to humans and other animals by blood-feeding arthropods, such as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas. Examples of vector-borne diseases include Dengue fever, West Nile Virus, Lyme disease, and malaria.
Cooperation to enhance preventive services
The Health Ministry reported that the meeting discussed ways of cooperation to enhance preventive services, to provide a healthy environment free from any pathological obstacles or indicators of environmental deterioration, based on the responsibility of the Ministry of Health for the public health of individuals.
To launch sustainable national programmes and plans
It was agreed, the Ministry reported, to coordinate efforts with the relevant authorities in common with the Ministry of Health regarding combating vector-borne diseases (Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Ministry of Environment), to launch sustainable national programmes and plans, in a way that enhances the prevention of vector-borne diseases rather than their spread.
