San
Pedro Daily  |
Thursday, July 30,
2009 Belize's Only Daily |
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Mexico helps to swat Belize dengue
problem
The dengue outbreak in the Cayo District has
sparked concern
countrywide and precautionary measures were implemented to control the
illness. And our neighbours to the north have now stepped in to offer
additional assistance to prevent further transmission of dengue in
Belize. Secretary of Health in Quintana Roo, Juan Carlos Azueta
Cardenas and the Mexican Ambassador to Belize Luis Manuel Lopez Moreno,
met earlier this week with local Minister of Health, Pablo Marin. The
fruit of that meeting is that a team of seventeen medical and vector
control personnel as well as some much needed ULV machines were brought
over from Mexico to begin control and preventative efforts at the
epicenter of the outbreak in the Cayo District. Once the situation in
that western district is under control, works will begin in the Belize,
Corozal and Orange Walk Districts. The team, led by Senior
Epidemiologist, Dr. Julio Cesar Gonzalez Aguilar, under a three week
agreement in which the Quintana Roo Health Secretariat will be
providing epidemiological, entomological and laboratory support as well
as ULV spraying. Marin told us more…
Pablo Marin, Minister of Health “Whenever there is any case of any virus or anything that we may need in case of an emergency, Mexico is immediately going to respond and the same thing we are going to do. This also will implement all information to be from one side to the next. What happen right now with the dengue, as soon as they saw that we had about three hundred cases that we thought it was and thirty percent of it that yes, it’s confirmed. They said you know what I think you need help immediately. So on Monday we started Felix Canto from Quintana Roo, he immediately stated that whatever Belize need, we’ll do it. Now because of that we have six vehicles, fogging vehicles that will go there in Belize. We’ll start in Cayo, which is the area that is more concentrated with the dengue, come to Belize and then come to the north. This is the first thing that we are doing right now. Mexico is providing six fogging machines, that is with their vehicle. They are helping us with nurses, doctors, epidemiologist, for them to do the testing with traps for us to catch the larva and the mosquito to know exactly what kind of mosquito they have and with the lab, as I said, for us to know also what kind of dengue there is in the country.” There have been two hundred and forty clinically diagnosed cases of dengue reported this year; a hundred of ninety-eight of those were from May twenty-fourth to present. Even more alarming is that a hundred and sixty-nine of the infected persons hail from the Cayo District. CH5 Volunteers Offer Swimming
Classes
 Volunteers to Holy Cross Anglican School
from St. Matthew’s Episcopal
Church in Pacific Palisades, California taught swimming classes all
last week. Almost 50 Island children participated in this program and
learned vital water survival skills. The group stayed at the Tides and
the management there graciously offered their pool and dock for
swimming lessons. Classes were held each morning from 9am until 11:30am
with a mid-morning snack served by the volunteers.
Saturday morning was the culmination of a week of fun and learning as the First Annual Swim Meet was held. Prizes were awarded and all participants received new bathing suits and delicious ice cream cones from Manelly’s. Another team from St. Matthew’s will be in San Pedro offering swimming classes from Monday, August 3 until Friday, August 7th. Monday is reserved for adults who would like to learn how to swim. Classes are free for all children in San Pedro. Ambergris Today LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Thursday, July 30, 7:00 to 7:15 AM - Entire Island " " , 2:45 to 3:00 PM - " " BELIZE
ALLIANCE OF CONSERVATION NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (BACONGO)
29th July 2009 WHO DECIDES FATE OF
BELIZE'S ENVIRONMENT? NEAC
CHALLENGED TO SHOW THEMSELVES
Today heavy hitting environmental
alliance BACONGO added its voice to
the chorus of disapproval of the secrecy, which now surrounds the
National Environmental Appraisal Committee (NEAC). The fact that the
identities of NEAC members is secret was revealed
earlier this month by Mr. Anthony Mai of the Department of the
Environment at a public consultation in Seine Bight about a proposed
210-slip marina
that would be located just 300 feet off the Placencia Peninsula. DOE has responded to criticism by identifying the departments, ministries and agencies that nominate members of NEAC. However, BACONGO, PCSD and other environmental organizations want to know the actual *names *of the people who make up NEAC including the names of NEAC members appointed by University of Belize, Prime Minister Dean Barrow and the DOE itself. (The Belize Tourist Industry Association is the only organization that has maintained transparency and has never made a secret of the identity of its nominee to the NEAC.) Candy Gonzalez of BACONGO and a former member of NEAC, explains, I sat on NEAC, as the BACONGO representative, for over six years. Never, during that period, were the names of members a secret. Instead, a NEAC representative and one alternate were designated to review EIAs, attend meetings, site visits and public consultations for each proposed development. This gave continuity to NEAC and let the public know who we were. It makes no sense to have people who are not familiar with an EIA voting on whether to approve it or not. It also makes no sense to keep the names of NEAC Committee members secret. That's saying that the public is not capable of understanding what is happening and we should simply trust the faceless decision makers. We all know where that kind of attitude has gotten us so far millions and millions of dollars in debt for private gain at the expense of the rest of the people and the environment of Belize. The Jewel is being sold off acre by acre to so called developed and foreign investors who have little or no concern for the environment or the people of Belize, either now or in the future. And, says BACONGO, members of the public should be even more concerned because NEAC meeting minutes also seem to be secret- BACONGO has requested copies of minutes and DOE has not honored those requests. Adds Mary Toy, Co-Chair of the Peninsula Citizens for Sustainable Development, a member of BACONGO, A number of environmental organizations, including our own, suspect that critical environmental decisions are being made by whoever happens to be around in a department, ministry or agency on the day of a NEAC meeting, no matter how junior that person may be -- greatly undermining any continuity of discussions about proposed developments and defeating any mature decision making. Toy continues, We also fear that there is little attempt by NEAC to resolve real environmental issues that emerge from the EIA process. As an example, if a NEAC member raises a valid query, say a contradiction in an EIA, this is not dealt with by NEAC. Instead, DOE, through its chairmanship of NEAC, simply states that the matter will be resolved in the Environmental Compliance Plan for the project and NEAC members never discuss whether resolution is desirable, or even feasible, in an environmentally sustainable manner. We hope this is not the case, but without being able to review NEAC minutes, we cannot say that NEAC is not abdicating its critical responsibilities in the environmental review process.& BACONGO challenges DOE to reveal the names of the members of NEAC, to make available the minutes of all meetings to those who request them and to give reality to the term transparency in all NEAC decisions. Without such openness the Belizean public can have no confidence that our environment is being protected by our Government. For further information contact BACONGO bacongobz@gmail.com PCSD at 610-4718 or info@saveourpeninsula.org First
Caribbean
Bank, Adopt-A-Cause Program
On Saturday, July 25th six
employees of
First Caribbean Bank put on their work clothes and arrived at Holy
Cross
Anglican School. As part of their
Adopt-A-Cause program, First Caribbean donated $2,000 to the school to
purchase
lumber for much needed walkways around the Upper Division classrooms.
The
folks from First Caribbean arrived early
on Saturday and began nailing the boards for the walkway. After eight
hours of hot, tiring labor
almost 300 boards had been positioned and the walkway was nearly
completed. Many thanks to First Caribbean Bank and their community minded employees: Wayne Leonardo, Viviana Cob, Daniel Castillo, Marcia Nunez, Justin Nicholas and Justin Nicholas, Jr. New Playground
Holy Cross Anglican School was
delighted to donate a
wonderful slide system to the Town of San Pedro for use at the Boca del
Rio
park. Holy Cross received the
playground equipment last year from generous donors, spearheaded by Ed
and
Sandy Settle, in the States. Equipment for Boca del Rio Park< The original plan was to erect the slide in the school compound as part of a new playground. But landfill long promised by a local developer, did not materialize and the playground area is still underwater. The next best place for the playground equipment was quickly identified as Boca del Rio Park. With leadership from Deputy MayorGomez and assistance from Town Board, staff and volunteers were able to erect the slide in a few days - much to the delight of local children! A dedication and blessing of the new slide was held on Sunday, July 27th at 2pm. The Rev. Dr. Julie Bryant from Church of the Transfiguration in Arcadia, California offered the prayers and Deputy MayorGomez cut the ribbon. Children immediately swarmed onto the slide and gales of laughter filled the Park. Notices
and letters wanted!
Emaileditor@sanpedrodaily.com
THOUGHT
OF THE DAY
When
the people fear their government there is tyranny,
when the government fears the people there is liberty. Thomas Jefferson
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