Health Ministry declares dengue outbreak in Jamaica
/ Our Today
administrator
The Ministry of Health and Wellness is today (September 23) confirming that Jamaica is currently gripped in an outbreak of dengue fever, as authorities contend with a ever-rising caseload.
The ministry, in a statement on Saturday, advised that some 565 “suspected, presumed and confirmed” cases of the disease have been recorded nationally up to Friday.
According to the National Surveillance Unit, infections are predominantly in the parishes of Kingston, St Andrew, St Catherine and St Thomas. The ministry is probing six deaths, while maintaining that the island is yet to officially register any dengue-related casualties.
The Type 2 strain of the mosquito-borne disease is currently being transmitted by the vector island wide, which the ministry disclosed is similar to the 2010 outbreak.
Press Release 📌
— MOHW JA (@themohwgovjm) September 23, 2023
Health Ministry Declares Dengue Outbreak
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In response to the evolving crisis, the Jamaican Government will move to activate its National Emergency Operations Centre in tandem with parochial emergency operation centres come Monday, September 25. These centres, according to the ministry, will monitor and report on all facets of the outbreak.
An additional 600 temporary vector control workers will be recruited in the coming days—bringing the total to 1,100 interim and 213 permanent workers in high-risk communities across the country—as the ministry ramps up search and destroy and public education activities to combat the outbreak.
The health ministry further indicated that beginning October 2, opening hours at Type 3-5 health centres island wide will be amended to 8:00 pm daily to “facilitate [citizens] visiting these facilities to receive treatment and referrals where necessary”.
What’s more, children under 18 years who visit the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) will not be “charged a fee or be required to pay for services” effective October 2.
The ministry is again urging citizens to do their part on a personal level in monitoring water storage containers for mosquito eggs or larvae and eradicating mosquito breeding sites where they form.
In the event of sickness, the general public is also advised to avoid using asprin, ibuprofen, diclofenac or any other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) as these are known to worsen the severity of dengue when ingested.
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