Government asks families to open their homes for Aedes Aegypti operation
President Dilma Rousseff in the National Day of Mobilization to Combat the Aedes aegypti.
President Dilma Rousseff, the ministers, governors and health workers are mobilized today (Feb. 13) for a massive operation to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito and the Zika virus. The Armed Forces marshaled about 220,000 men for the National Day of Mobilization to Combat the Aedes aegypti.
Admiral Ademir Sobrinho, chief of the joint staff of the armed forces, requested people for opening the doors of their houses to the armed forces. He said the military is conducting the operation because it is easier for the armed forces to mobilize a lot of people. But their credibility and news reports are important so that people open their houses this Saturday, said Sobrinho.
The soldiers will deliver handouts and, together with state health workers, will talk to the population about the importance to remove potential breeding sites from their homes. In some situations, they can use larvicides in places with stagnant water, like water tanks. The operation, however, will prioritize dialoguing and informing the people.
Their goal is to visit 3 million households in around 350 Brazilian municipalities. Pernambuco, the state with the largest number of microcephaly cases reported, will have 30 municipalities visited. The towns to be visited were chosen according to both criteria: the incidence of the mosquito and military support.
The government plans to deliver a message of unity among society to fight the disease. For this reason, President Dilma Rousseff asked her ministers to visit several states in order to actively take part in the mobilization. The president, in its turn, will visit Rio de Janeiro.
"We will be in all the states. I think that having the ministers at the sites demonstrates the commitment and the federal government's effort to contain the mosquito and the damages caused by it," said Defense Minister Aldo Rebelo.
The government expects to distribute 4 million handouts throughout the country. The handouts provide a guide to eliminate the mosquito's breeding sites. Using the hashtag #zikazero, the guide advises people to keep the water tanks covered, to store tires in closed and dry places, and to fill the plant saucers with sand.
Other operations
Other actions are scheduled for the next few days to combat the Aedes aegypti. From February 15 to 18, more than 50,000 men and women of the Armed Forces expect the population to open their homes for them to eliminate the mosquito's breeding sites and apply chemicals to inhibit its reproduction.
From February 19 to March 4, the actions will take place in schools, in a partnership between the Defense Ministry and the Education Ministry. "Students widely spread their knowledge, especially among their family, about the mosquito's issue and how to combat it. We will go to the schools, along with other officials, to talk to the students so that they take this message to their houses," said the Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces.
Translated by Amarílis Anchieta
Fonte: Government asks families to open their homes for Aedes Aegypti operation
