Machete threat raises safety concerns for Portland health inspectors

Chief Public Health Inspector for Portland, Lorenzo Hume, has raised concerns about the safety of health inspectors following a recent incident in which a member was verbally attacked by a man armed with a machete while performing vector control duties in New Road, St Margaret’s Bay.

Hume raised the issue during the monthly meeting of the Portland Municipal Corporation on Thursday.

He told the meeting that the incident took place after a second visit to the New Road community, in an area known as Wydah, by a team of public health inspectors, who were again threatened by a man from that community.

“The team members went in [to perform their duties] to warn this disgruntled member [of the community] who was not satisfied with the previous intervention,” said Hume.

“He took it upon himself to threaten the team members and [it] went further. The team member, having identified that his life was in danger, because of threatening remarks from the community member, decided to leave. In leaving, he started running. Unfortunately, he fell and the gentleman held a machete at his head,” Hume added.

Hume pointed out that the three team members who were at the location at the time of the incident were left traumatised.

He noted that, when working in such a difficult environment, public health inspectors fully understand their role in ensuring that community residents are first sensitised about the importance of preventing mosquito breeding sites. However, he argued that residents should also be receptive and help to protect them.

“We were stopped and prevented from carrying out our duties, which is to ensure that mosquito breeding sites are eradicated and residents are sensitised about storing water for their domestic use properly. In short, we were carrying out our duties, so as to ensure that mosquito-borne diseases, including malaria and dengue, do not cause infection.

“The incident was reported to the police. The team member received multiple bruises to his body. He was physically injured and traumatised along with other team members, who witnessed the incident. We had to send them home and we are still monitoring them. In the vector team, there is a significant number that are women, and they are concerned about how they can work in communities, which ought to protect them, when these things are happening,” he added.

There are 25 public health inspectors in the parish, of whom six are men.