Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says the ministry will engage an additional 400 vector workers in response to the expected increase in the mosquito population following the passage of Hurricane Beryl.

This figure will bring the total number of temporary workers to 1,000.

“They will be assigned to high-risk communities to identify and treat breeding sites. In addition, they will assist with the fogging activity, so the larvicidal activity that takes place,” Tufton said while speaking at a press conference on Thursday (July 18). “We are expanding that population of workers so that we can provide greater coverage across the country to support the efforts at eliminating mosquito breeding sites,” the health minister said.

Meanwhile, Tufton said mosquito fogging activities have been extended to seven days per week, with special emphasis being placed on urban centres and high-risk communities. He said these vector control workers will be covering some 18 to 20 communities per fogging session and 30 communities for larvicidal work.

Additionally, the Health Minister said the Ministry will be engaging private pest control operators to work alongside the government fleet to intensify fogging activities.

“Up to this point, we are targeting 10 private contractors; if there are others out there, we are willing to engage based on the extent to which the challenge is there. The intention is to engage these private contractors over the next two months or so until we can get the population to a level that the ministry’s team can manage,” Tufton noted.

Another vector control strategy being employed by the health ministry is the distribution of drum covers to stem the mosquito population. Tufton said some 500 have been distributed to residents since the passage of Hurricane Beryl, with another 20,000 to be procured for distribution.

Dengue

Chief medical officer Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie said the National Surveillance Unit in the Ministry has recorded some 11,768 suspected, probable, and confirmed dengue cases between 2023 and 2024.

So far this year, the ministry is reporting some 1,406 dengue cases, a decline from the 1,362 cases recorded during the same period last year.

Reflecting on the number of dengue cases for the 2023–2024 period, McKenzie said: “Of these cases that were notified, 1,774 were confirmed. The predominant serotype was dengue type 2, 1,746 were confirmed to be dengue type 2. We had one co-infection with serotypes two and three. Three stereotype three and four stereotype four. We have 20 that we are awaiting the results.”

For the period, 29 dengue-related deaths were also reported in health ministry data.

Dengue is a viral infection transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected Aedes Aegypti mosquito.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is now urging Jamaicans to take the necessary actions to protect themselves from mosquito bites which includes using mosquito repellants and destroying mosquito breeding sites.