As part of efforts to rid communities of mosquito breeding sites, the Ministry of Health and Wellness has dispatched its vector-control teams to several high-risk areas across the island. Medical Entomologist and National Programme Manager for Vector Control in the Ministry, Sherine Huntley Jones, told JIS News that the teams are tasked with identifying and eliminating the breeding grounds for...

The Government has intensified efforts to make schools safe from the dengue virus with supplies of drum covers, weekend fogging, and removal of bulky waste. Medical Entomologist and National Programme Manager, Vector Control, in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Sherine Huntley Jones, said the age group five to 14 is mostly affected by the dengue outbreak, and along with...

The St. James Municipal Corporation has donated five fogging machines to the St. James Public Health Department, which will be used in mosquito eradication activities in communities across the parish. The machines, which were acquired at a cost of approximately $1.5 million, were handed over during a ceremony held at the Corporation’s chambers in Montego Bay on Monday (September 25)....

There was a 6.7 per cent decrease in the number of complaints received at public health facilities in the first quarter of the current financial year as noted by the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Complaints Management System (CMS). During a recent quarterly press briefing, Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, indicated that comparative to quarter one last financial...

Vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and children, as well as front-line healthcare workers are being encouraged to get the influenza vaccine. The influenza season normally starts in October. The flu is an acute viral infection that spreads easily from person to person, mainly by coughing, sneezing and through close contact. Speaking on the JIS Television Programme, ‘Get the Facts’,...

As the Ministry of Health and Wellness heightens measures to contain the outbreak of dengue on the island, there is a call for householders to accommodate vector control workers.  Public Health Officer at the St. Catherine Health Department, Judith Brown, said that the work of the vector control teams is crucial in ridding communities of breeding sites for the Aedes...

Administrator of the Jamaica Athletes Insurance Plan, Michelle Napier (left), addresses students attending the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission(JADCO) health and wellness fair held on Friday (September 22), at the agency’s offices on Ballater Avenue in St. Andrew. The fair was part of activities to observe JADCO’s 15th anniversary this year, under the theme ‘Protecting Brand Jamaica Through Clean Sport’.

The Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC) in Kingston has received a donation of care items from the Rotaract Club of Kingston (RCOK), valued more than $200,000.  The items include junior bed and crib sheet sets, tissues, paper towels and laundry detergents.  Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the BHC, Anthony Wood, who addressed the recent handover ceremony, said the hospital welcomed...

The St. Elizabeth Health Department is ramping up efforts to prevent and control the spread of dengue fever across the parish. This comes against the background of reports of increasing cases of the disease in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. Addressing the St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation’s monthly meeting in Black River on Thursday (September 14), Medical Officer of Health, St....