Regional Vector Control Officer at the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Ryan Morris, says more than 500,000 premises have been inspected for mosquito breeding sites in the health region since the July 1 activation of the enhanced vector-control programme. In an interview with JIS News, Mr. Morris credits this success to the aggressive vector-control efforts by workers in Westmoreland, St....

As the Government intensifies the drive to reduce the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, is calling on Jamaicans to desist from attacking vector-control workers who carry out fogging exercises. “We appeal to the public again, stoning the vector workers doesn’t help your cause, doesn’t help the community and, indeed, it’s illegal...

A total of 25,400 doses of trivalent influenza vaccine (northern hemisphere formulation) has been purchased and distributed through the regional health authority network. This was disclosed by Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, in a statement to the House of Representatives on January 14. He informed that preliminary reports from the National Epidemiology database show that...

Construction of a 20 to 25-bed ward at the Bustamante Hospital for Children in Kingston, is to commence this year. The two-storey structure will house the hospital’s paediatric cardiac centre patients, and an 18-bed overnight facility for parents of patients on the ward. The infrastructure development project, valued at $100 million, is being jointly financed by the National Health Fund...

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, is calling on Jamaicans to take care of themselves this flu season. Speaking with JIS News during a tour of the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay, St. James, on Friday, January 10, Dr. Tufton said persons should be on high alert for the symptoms. “Jamaicans need to be on...

Custos of St. James, Bishop the Hon. Conrad Pitkin, is urging Justices of the Peace (JPs) to play an active role in the coordinated fight against dengue in the parish. He said that JPs can help by educating citizens about prevention and mitigation measures. “I would like to encourage the JPs from across the parish to speak to the citizens...

St. James has seen a further decline in its Aedes index, moving from nine per cent in late December to seven per cent as of January 2020. This has resulted from extensive measures by the St. James Health Department to eliminate the Aedes aegypti mosquito as it continues to fight the dengue fever. The lowering of the Aedes index means...