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State Minister for Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Colin Fagan (right), is greeted by Acting Mayor of Portmore, Councillor Leon Thomas, when he arrived at the offices of the Portmore Municipal Council on Tuesday, November 3, for a stakeholder meeting to discuss phase two clean-up activities in the municipality this weekend, aimed at reducing the spread of the Chikungunya virus (ChikV).

Phase 2 ChikV Clean-Up in Portmore This Weekend

Phase two of clean-up activities in Portmore, geared at reducing the spread of the Chikungunya virus (ChikV) in the municipality, will begin on Saturday, November 8, starting at 7:00 a.m. The work, which will continue into Sunday, November 9, will...

Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson (centre), accepts a plaque of appreciation from Ms. Angela Palmer, a member of Help Jamaica Medical Mission (HELPJAMM), after he delivered the keynote address at the Mission’s Fourth Annual Black Tie dinner, held at the Hanover Manor in East Hanover, New Jersey on Saturday, November 1. Others (from left) are: Vice President of HELPJAMM, Dr. Robert Clarke; President of HELPJAMM, Rudolph Willis and Chairman of HELPJAMM, Dr. Richard Constable.

Jamaican Organisations Donate Equipment for Ebola Preparedness

Ebola Key Facts and Answers

Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) personnel utilize heavy-duty vehicles in the clearing of a gully in West Kingston on October 30. The work forms part of the national health emergency vector control clean-up campaign aimed at destroying mosquito breeding sites.

Major CHIKV Clean-Up in West Kingston

President, Medical Association of Jamaica, Dr. Shane Alexis (left), along with Advisor, Disease Prevention and Control, Pan American Health Organisation, Dr. Kam Suan Mung and Acting Director, Emergency, Disaster Preparedness and Special Services, Ministry of Health, Dr. Sonia Copeland, engage in a light conversation at the media sensitization forum on Ebola, held on October 30 at the Pan American Health Organisation offices at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.

Ministry Aims to Train 1,000 Health Care Workers for Ebola Response

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Senior Public Health Nurse, Jennifer Pearson (2nd right), tests Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson (left), with one of the hand-held thermal sensors that he handed over at the Sangster International Airport on October 29, while on a tour of the facility with a team from the Western Regional Health Authority. The Minister presented two sensors to the airport as part of the Ebola preparedness campaign. Others (from second left) are: Deputy Chairman of the Western Regional Health Authority, Calvin Brown; Port Health and Quarantine officer, Oniel Brown; Regional Technical Director, Dr. Dianne Campbell Stennett and Medical Officer of Health for St James, Dr. Marcia Johnson Campbell.

11 years ago Health & Wellness

Health Personnel to be Increased at Sangster Airport

Beginning next week, the Ministry of Health will be beefing up the number of health personnel stationed at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, as part of its Ebola Preparedness Programme at the country’s ports of entry. This was announced by Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, after touring the airport on October 29. He pointed out that...

Coordinator for the Greater Involvement of Persons Living with HIV and AIDS (GIPA) at the National Family Planning Board (NFPB), Ainsley Reid, addresses a JIS Think Tank on October 29.

11 years ago Health & Wellness

NFPB Celebrating Family Week

The National Family Planning Board (NFPB) is celebrating ‘Family Week’ with a series of activities focused on family life, and sexual and reproductive health. Addressing a JIS Think Tank on October 29, Director of Prevention and Outreach at the NFPB, Marion Scott, said the week, from October 26-31, is being observed under the theme: ‘Time to Talk’. “We want persons...

A member of staff of the Cornwall Regional Hospital displays one of several Hazmat suits, which the hospital has acquired, as it prepares for the threat of the Ebola virus.

11 years ago Health & Wellness

Health Minister Pleased With Ebola Preparedness at Cornwall Regional

Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, is expressing satisfaction with the level of preparedness at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) for the detection, isolation and treatment of any suspected cases of the Ebola virus. The Minister was speaking on Wednesday, October 29, following a tour of an area, which is being converted into a temporary isolation unit, and viewed the...

Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Fenton Ferguson (left), addresses the media following a tour of the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay on Wednesday (October 29). During the tour, the Minister looked at temporary isolation facilities for suspected Ebola cases, as well as a triage area being built to ease overcrowding at the Accident and Emergency Unit. Listening keenly is Chairman of the hospital’s Ebola preparedness committee, Dr. Barbara Grandison.

11 years ago Health & Wellness

Only Major Hospitals Will Treat Ebola Cases – Dr. Ferguson

Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, said that only the major hospitals such as Cornwall Regional and Kingston Public will undertake the treatment of any suspected Ebola cases in Jamaica. He said isolation facilities at the other health facilities will only be used for “holding purposes”. “The whole idea is that the other hospitals…all of them should have an isolation...

11 years ago Health & Wellness

Jamaica Gets Assistance from Cuba to Boost CHIK-V Response

Jamaica is to receive assistance from Cuba in strengthening the country’s Chikungunya Virus (Chik-V) response programme. Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, has informed that a Cuban technical expert is slated to arrive in November, to provide assistance in dealing with Chik-V and Dengue Fever, which are spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. He made the announcement while outlining details...

Registrar, Pesticides Control Authority, Mr. Michael Ramsay, warns that the overuse of insecticides can lead to serious health complications.

11 years ago Health & Wellness

Persons Urged to Exercise Caution When Using Insecticides

The Pesticides Control Authority (PCA) is urging persons to exercise caution when using insecticides to get rid of vectors, including mosquitoes, as efforts continue to control the spread of the Chikungunya Virus. In an interview with JIS News, Registrar of the Pesticides Control Authority, Michael Ramsay, said that while insecticides are effective in getting rid of unwanted pests, overuse can lead...

Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson (centre), addressing journalists during a media briefing at the Ministry’s downtown Kingston office on Tuesday (October 28), where he outlined details of the four-day visit to Cuba, from October 23 to 26, by an 11-member delegation which he led. He held discussions with that country’s government regarding assistance for Jamaica’s Ebola preparedness and response programme. Flanking him are Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Rocky Meade, who was a member of the delegation; and Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Kevin Harvey.

11 years ago Health & Wellness

Two Cuban Ebola Experts Coming To Train Health Care Workers

Two experts are to arrive in the island from Cuba next week, to assist with the training of health care workers and other designated Ebola frontline responders. This will form part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize Cuba’s commitment to provide technical assistance to strengthen Jamaica’s Ebola preparedness and response, which is to be established between the governments...