There is an agreeable buzz in Cayman’s mosquito population at the government’s decision to cut back funding to its mosquito control budget by $74,000.

Whilst many other countries are increasing their budgets to curb the pests government has deemed otherwise.

What is particularly surprising at this decision is the government’s seemingly complacency at the rapid rise of chikungunya cases in other parts of the Caribbean.

There was a surge in reported cases last week to a staggering 176,566 persons affected. In one week one of the worst affected countries, Dominica Republic rose from 52,976 to 77,320.

Warnings from various health ministries in the USA advising their citizens not to travel to the Caribbean countries affected with chikungunya are increasing as imported cases there are rising after US visitors to the Caribbean have returned home.

Ever increasing numbers of Caribbean countries now reporting their first cases of chikungunya doesn’t seem to have been a warning to our government.

I urge all government ministers to view iNews Cayman’s article on Wednesday 18 2014 “Caribbean chikungunya cases top 170,000”. Scrolling down there are other related stories “US travellers to Caribbean alerted on Chikungunya virus”, “Minnesota doctor bit by emerging virus” and “NC’s first case Chikungunya confirmed in resident who recently travelled to Caribbean”.

(See link: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/caribbean-chikungunya-cases-top-170000/)

iNews has been at the forefront of publishing articles on the threat of chikungunya.

It is not a case of IF the Cayman Islands get’s affected with chikungunya it is WHEN.

Didn’t we only recently have cases here of dengue fever?

The cost of the lost tourists coming to Cayman will be far more than the $74,000 cut out of this year’s budget. Can you imagine the panic here when that happens?

Shouldn’t Cayman’s tourist industry along with the Department of Tourism have been banging the drum how seriously the Cayman Islands takes mosquito control and that is why our country hasn’t been affected with chikungunya? Even a small INCREASE in the budget for mosquito control could have been banged along with the former.

Most of the US tourists affected with chikungunya were cruise ship passengers.

Cruise ships visit the Cayman Islands.

Cruise ship passengers disembark when the cruise ships are docked in the Cayman Islands.

The Cayman Islands does have mosquitos and that is why we have mosquito control.

I didn’t explain it.

Oh foolish me.

The chikungunya virus is (drum roll) ………………………………

transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito!!

Prevention is better than cure and less expensive.

This decision to CUT and not INCREASE the budget for mosquito control is ill advised, ill considered, and quite frankly STUPID!!

However, the mosquito population around my garden is buzzing with delight and laughter.

See also another related story in today’s iNews Cayman “Chikungunya virus reaches USVI”