Jamaicans are being urged to take the necessary steps to protect themselves from mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue following the passage of Hurricane Beryl.

This call is coming from the chief medical officer in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie.

“It is important for members of the public to play their part to prevent a possible increase in the transmission of dengue by searching for and destroying all potential mosquito-breeding sites in and around their surroundings,” she said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dengue is a viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes.

The risk of contracting viral illnesses increases, especially after flooding and heavy rains, which are frequent during the hurricane season.

“Jamaica, as with the rest of the Caribbean, [has a] high dengue transmission period [that] coincides with the hurricane season annually. In anticipation of that, the ministry will activate an enhanced public education programme, home inspections and the destruction of breeding sites by vector control workers, and island-wide fogging by the parish health departments,” the Bisasor-McKenzie noted.

The dengue virus is transmitted to humans through the bites of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. These mosquitoes breed where water is settled, for example, in drums, flower pots, tyres, buckets, and other containers that store water.