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Letter to Ministry of Health Chikungya- Heatlh Petition

Leader of the St.Kitts Main Opposition Party the People’s Action Movement and Deputy Leader of the Opposition Alliance Team UNITY the  Hon. Shawn K. Richards along with hundreds of his constituents have petitioned the St.Kitts-Nevis Dr. Denzil Douglas led government to quickly and seriously address  what they deem as the possible source of a Chikungunya Outbreak on the island and in particular in their constituency.

Chief Heatlh Inspector on the Island Alexander Riley recently revealed that the island has recorded 21 known cases of the painful but rarely fatal sickness. It was also revealed that over 90% of the cases if not all, came from the Sandy Point/Fig Tree Area or Constituency #5 of which Hon. Richards is the Parliamentary Representative.

In a letter  dated June 2^nd and addressed to the Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas and copied to Minister of Health Hon. Marcella Liburd , Richards raised his concern along with that of over 300 persons from his constituency all who signed a petition to express their deep seeded concern over the health issue. The letter pointed directly to what the MP and Residents see as the source of the health issue and that is the nearby and abandoned Project known as LaVallee . According to the letter a number of man-made ponds were built to become a part of the planned $250 million Golf Course and Resort Project. However the project has become defunct with no clear indication as to where the borrowed $250 million went to. Richards indicated that these man-made ponds have now become breeding grounds for thousands of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are known to be a significant factor or transmitter of the Chikungunya. With over 20 cases concentrated in that area alone the residents are undoubtedly justified in their  concern.

The abandoned Lavallee Project has long been a source of contention for residents of the area and citizens of the country as the Dr. Denzil Douglas government borrowed in excess of $250 million for the project. Despite that huge sum the project never got any further than the construction of a 6 mile long fence and a few man-made ponds as alluded to earlier. The lavalle lies on hundreds of acres and it is uncertain whether the lands situated there are still government owned lands or are they to in the hands of Trinidad based Banks where the $250 million was borrowed.