Jamaicans are being encouraged to take the necessary safeguards to avoid contracting dengue fever.

The appeal comes from Dr Tonia Dawkins-Beharie, medical officer of health for the St Elizabeth Health Services, who has implored persons not to become complacent in the fight against the disease.

Dawkins-Beharie was addressing the monthly meeting of the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation in Black River on Thursday (December 8).

She noted that St Elizabeth’s Aedes aegypti mosquito index for November was 9.9 per cent, which was lower than the figure for the corresponding period in 2021.

Despite this, however, the medical officer stressed that persons should remain persistent in mitigating the spread of the mosquito-borne disease.

“We want to advise everybody that September to March is our usual dengue season, so we remain on alert. Even though our Aedes index is quite okay right now, we must remain on the alert,” Dawkins-Beharie said.

She pointed out that some sections of St Elizabeth have been experiencing frequent rainfall, which has caused a spike in the Culex mosquito population.

Against this background, she reiterated several steps persons can take to better protect themselves.

“We ask persons to prevent themselves from being bitten by mosquitoes by covering up, wearing mosquito repellent, and using other methods to prevent being bitten, and also to search and destroy breeding sites in and around the homes.”

Dawkins-Beharie said the parish’s vector-control team continues to ramp up efforts to prevent transmission of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases, through adulticidal activities coupled with public sensitisation engagements.