Govt. Continues to be on alert for any threat of Cholera – Health Minister

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, says the Government is continuing efforts to deal with any threat of cholera, and is holding talks with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) to obtain support in the national drive.
Addressing a groundbreaking ceremony to upgrade the Rocky Point Fishing Beach, in Clarendon, on November 10, the Minister emphasised that communities must joint in the fight against the disease by maintaining a clean environment.
The campaign comes against the background of an outbreak of cholera in Haiti, which has claimed the lives of some 900 persons.
“The country remains in preparatory mode to respond in the event that there is an outbreak of cholera, having regard to the situation in Haiti. It is vital that local communities partner with central and local governments to safeguard the nation, which must begin with clean environments in homes, in the communities and at places of work,” the Minister said.
Mr. Spencer said that recently, he led a team from the Ministry which met with the Head of PAHO, and that the discussions centred around the evolving infectious disease landscape in Jamaica, and a request for technical and financial support to enhance the response to the diseases.
“We received a commitment from PAHO to assist Jamaica in brokering bi-lateral technical co-operation with another country to improve our vector management strategy. PAHO has also agreed to facilitate the country in doing resistance testing on the mosquito population in Jamaica. We do not intend to lose our focus in eradicating diseases, such as dengue fever, malaria and leptospirosis, because we understand that it is our most marginalised and the poorest of our communities that are disproportionately affected by these illnesses,” the Minister said.