Drastic Decline in Mosquito Breeding Sites in Westmoreland

The Westmoreland Public Health Department is maintaining a robust dengue prevention programme in the parish, which has seen a drastic decline in the Aedes index.

Chief Public Health Inspector for Westmoreland, Steve Morris, told JIS News that the Aedes index in the parish as of December was five per cent, which is the international standard.

The Aedes index refers to the percentage of premises or homes in a limited, well-defined space, where actual breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito is found and the total number of houses examined in that area.

Mr. Morris credits the decline in breeding sites to the addition of some 93 temporary vector-control workers, who were added to the department recently.

“We started in July with 63, but had an additional amount added to that and we have been getting persons coming on board periodically through the assistance of the Councillors from the Municipal Corporation,” he noted.

He pointed out that the current batch of vector-control workers who were taken on through the Government’s Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme, will be on board for six months and will complete their tenure in February. The Department has eight permanent vector-control workers.

Mr. Morris informed that in November of last year, more than 48,000 premises were inspected, while in December more than 39,000 were checked.

During these checks, property owners are educated about the virus and alerted to the breeding sites. The sites were also treated by the vector-control workers.

Mr. Morris added that the Department has a weekly schedule for fogging in the parish, which is shared by the Municipality and the Western Regional Health Authority via the media in the region.

All communities are fogged on a weekly basis and the activity is done in the afternoons when the mosquitoes are mostly present.

He noted that the Department also collaborates with WPM Waste Management Ltd. in the removal of bulky waste, which fosters mosquito breeding.

For her part, Medical Officer of Health for Westmoreland, Dr. Marcia Graham, told JIS News that the parish saw a peak in suspected cases of dengue in October of last year, with a downward trend in the months of November and December.

She added, however, that the suspected cases do not represent the number of persons who have been exposed to dengue fever.

“We do not have 100 per cent reporting via notification, but when we look at the week of October 29 to November 4, that would have been the week when we got the most suspected cases brought to our attention in Westmoreland,” Dr. Graham said.

“Since then, we have had a downward trend and we are appreciative of the response of the citizens to the appeal that the Department would have made for them to adhere to what we have branded as the four Ss of dengue prevention,” she noted.

The four Ss are search and destroy mosquito breeding sites; secure yourselves from mosquito bites; seek medical attention when experiencing symptoms of dengue fever within the first five days of illness; and support the department’s vector-control efforts.

Dr. Graham noted that the parish has had 121 confirmed cases of dengue as of December 2023, with most of the persons infected being under 15 years old.

She commended persons who suspect they have the virus in the parish for presenting themselves at medical facilities within the prescribed five-day window.

During this month’s meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation, Dr. Graham encouraged persons to remain vigilant in protecting themselves from mosquito bites and destroying breeding sites. Dr. Graham also informed that there were three deaths under investigation.

Dengue fever was declared an epidemic on the island by Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, in September of last year.

Symptoms of dengue include sudden onset of high fever with severe headache, fatigue, pain behind the eyes, muscle, bone or joint pain, skin rash, swollen glands and vomiting or feeling nauseous.

The Aedes agypti mosquito is responsible for the spread of dengue fever, Zika and chikungunya viruses.