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PARENTS PROMISED
PROBLEM WILL
BE RESOLVED
Parents of Grazettes Primary School students got an
apology today and an assurance that while their children
attend classes at the Breath of Life and Ebenezer Seventh
Day Adventist churches next week, no effort would be
spared to ensure the problem at the school is resolved.
Chief Education Ofcer Laurie King and his deputy,
Karen Best, promised that students would not step foot
back in the school until the lingering odour that has
resulted in some teachers and students falling ill, was
eliminated.
King told the more than 200 parents some of them
very agitated who packed the Ellerslie Secondary School
hall this evening that he understood their frustration and
was sorry.
I want to apologize to all of you on behalf of the
Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the
Ministry of Labour if you felt that you were out in the cold
with respect to exactly what was going on, he said.
But I would hasten to add that we ourselves were not
always sure when the problem would be corrected. At one
point in time we felt we had it corrected and we said go
back to school, then we got a call that no, the problem
is not corrected and we had to ask children to stay out
again, so I apologize to all parents because of that.
Best announced this evening that junior students
those from Nursery, Reception and Infants A and B will
have classes at Ebenezer Seventh Day Adventist Church in
Eden Lodge, St Michael while the older students in Class
One to Four will be housed at Breath of Life Seventh Day
Adventist Church in White Hall, St Michael.
I know we might have some peculiar situations where
we have siblings that might be in the infants and the
juniors. We cant do any better because we dont have
anywhere we can hold all the children in one place, she
said.
Best said buses would be provided to transport
children between the alternate locations and the
Grazettes Community Centre and parents were welcome
to travel on the buses; arrangements would be made with
the School Meals Department to ensure lunches were
delivered to the churches; and security would also be
provided at the churches.
Classes will continue at the SDA churches for three
weeks while health and education authorities work to
ventilate the school.
Best said if the matter was not resolved within that
time, the churches had indicated the children could
continue classes there for as long as necessary.
Give us the three weeks and let us see. But one thing I
promised the teachers yesterday is that there is a teacher
we are going to use as a barometer and we are going to
get that teacher to go back in. We are not going to put
your children or the teachers back into the school unless
we are satised that the problem is [solved], she said.
The deputy chief education ofcer also gave an
assurance that Class Four students who will set the
Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination next
year will get extra attention to make up for the more than
three weeks of classes they have missed.
Agreeing with the parents that their children had been
out of school for too long, Best said: We are going to
make sure your children get the needed attention to catch
up.
During this evenings meeting, tempers ared and
ofcials had to appeal several times for order to be
restored to the meeting, as parents were vocal about their
frustrations.
Some questioned why it was taking so long to address
the problem at Grazettes Primary if fogging was the only
issue.
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Ministry apol
Some of the parents and guardians who came
out to hear what the Ministry of Education
and Ministry of Health ofcials had to say.
02/10/14 www.barbadostoday.bb Page 5
However, Ministry of Health ofcials explained that
cause the school was closed and the fogging was done
rough small areas that had little ventilation, the chemicals
uld not properly disperse and the odour therefore
mained.
It was for that reason, Best said, that furniture at the
hool would not be moved to the churches. She said new
sks and tables that had been bought for other schools
ould be redirected.
The senior education ofcial said while she understood
e need for fogging, given the increase in the number of
ses of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus, it must be
one right in the future.
The only thing I want is that protocol be observed
d that is, when you are fogging, let us know so that the
hool would be open, just like our homes our open and
is would not happen again, she said.
While most parents are satised that their children
ll nally be able to settle down to work, some remain
oubtful that the odour is the only problem that needs to
resolved.
Chrystal Wiggins, who has three children at the school,
d the problem was much bigger.
She told reporters that there was a need for the entire
rroundings to be cleaned. (DP)
logy
Health ofcials have insisted that the
chemicals used for fogging at the Grazettes
Primary School were safe.
Chief Medical Ofcer Dr Joy St John
said this evening that the chemical mix that
produces the fog used to kill the dengue
and Chikungunya-carrying mosquitos was
as efcacious as it could be without being
harmful to human health.
Some teachers and students complained
of feeling unwell following fogging at the
school. The situation caused classes to be
suspended on several occasions and has
resulted in students and teachers being
relocated to two churches from next week.
What was used was the usual
formulation and it is all part of the
programme targeting public institutions to
reduce the mosquito burden because we
are trying to contain as much as possible,
the explosion of Chikungunya now that we
have the outbreak, she said.
But some people would have reactions,
because some people have allergic reactions,
or some people are prone to respiratory
issues like asthma.
She was speaking during a tour of Sils
Dialysis where Acting Minister of Health
Donville Inniss defended the ministry
against criticism that it had made errors in
the fogging exercise and suggestions that
some of the chemicals used were not safe.
All of the experts in the Ministry
of Health have thus far indicated that
the methodologies being employed and
chemicals used are the best to address
the challenges we face an d prevent them
expanding. I, like the rest of this country,
have to accept that our bright minds who
labour in the Ministry of Health know best
and do best, he asserted.
I am not going to get involved or drag
the Ministry of Health into that particular
debate. Sufce it to say that we recognize
that fogging districts is an important aspect
of the health work and it will continue.
(EJ)
Health ofcials defend fogging
Barbados had 40 conrmed cases of Chikungunya, with an additional 130 cases
under investigation up to September 26.
In providing an update this evening, the Ministry of Health disclosed that there
has also been an increase in the number of patients seeking medical attention with
symptoms associated with the virus.
However, there have been no Chikungunya deaths.
The rst case of Chikungunya recorded in Barbados was on June 3, in a visitor
who had travelled from another Caribbean country.
The Ministry of Health has advised the public to practice simple control methods
to protect themselves from being bitten by the Aedes aegypti mosquito which
transmits Chikungunya.
Those measures include spraying inside their homes with insecticide to kill adult
mosquitoes; inspecting their premises to eliminate all potential mosquito breeding
sites; using insect repellent on their skins; and wearing light-coloured long pants and
long-sleeved shirts when outdoors.
Public health ofcials, meanwhile, are continuing to undertake protective
measures to address the situation, including fogging, enhanced surveillance at ports
of entry, collection and analysis of data from public healthcare facilities, health
education, and other source reduction activities.
The Ministry of Health has urged Barbadians to take the Chikungunya outbreak
seriously and to follow the public health guidance given in order to avoid large
numbers of children and adults becoming ill and putting pressure on health care
systems.
Symptoms of Chikungunya, a virus similar to dengue, include: sudden high fever,
headache, rash, nausea, muscle pain, stiffness and severe joint pain, especially in the
wrists, knuckles or ankles. Treatment is symptomatic and may include rest, uids and
medication for fever and pain. Aspirin should be avoided. (DP/BGIS)
40 conrmed
Chik-V cases
Chief Education
Ofcer Laurie King
apologised to parents.
These two parents were among those who
were vocal about the situation affecting
students at Grazettes Primary School.