The Ministry of Health & Wellness wishes to advise of the following precautions for food and water safety, persons with chronic illnesses and pregnant women as the island experiences the inclement weather condition: Food Safety • Do not store food items with chemicals such as kerosene, bleach, detergents and insect sprays • Do not purchase/use food from tins which have...

With some hospitals facing overcrowding due to the dengue outbreak, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, is again imploring persons with mild dengue symptoms not to rush to the emergency departments but to visit their community health centre instead. Mild symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, nausea and rash. “These can be managed at home, or you can seek...

The St. Elizabeth Health Department has initiated a comprehensive public education initiative, dubbed the Dengue High-Intensity Intervention In-Towns (Dengue H.I.I.T) campaign, aimed at combatting the spread of dengue. Chief Public Health Inspector, Nelesha Brown-Wint, told the monthly meeting of the St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation on November 9 that the campaign takes the form of a roadshow and is to run...

Crab vendors at National Heroes Circle in Kingston have been trained and are now certified as small food operators ahead of the popular food spot’s reopening on November 23. The location was ordered closed by health officials in October over sanitary concerns. It has since been cleaned and sanitised. Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC),...

Several health and wellness providers in the hospitality sector will be recognised for their contribution at the inaugural Awards Ceremony at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James on Thursday (November 16). The ceremony, an added feature of this year’s staging of the fifth annual Jamaica Health and Wellness Tourism Conference, will take place on day one of the...

With the country recording 3,147 suspected, presumed and confirmed dengue cases, as well as nine deaths, there is a call for persons to take action to minimise the spread of the virus. Making the call, Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said monitoring of water-storage containers for mosquito breeding must be done regularly, keeping surroundings “free...

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday (November 7), commenced the debate on the National Council on Drug Abuse (Repeal) Bill 2023. The Bill will facilitate the integration of the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) into the Ministry of Health and Wellness, including the transfer of assets, rights, and liabilities. Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said the integration...