Dengue and coronavirus condemned as fatal combo

WESTERN BUREAU:

MONTEGO BAY residents have been urged to be more proactive in managing mosquito-control activities in order to prevent a potential collision of dengue fever with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far recorded 12 confirmed cases.

“I’ll use this occasion to appeal to the residents of St James that we can’t have dengue-infected persons and the coronavirus, because I don’t think the both of them see eye to eye,” said Davis, while addressing last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation.

Davis’ comment came after a report from the St James Health Department showed that the parish’s Aedes egypti mosquito index had increased to 9.8 per cent in February.

“Dengue has serious side effects and can cause death, and the coronavirus also has serious side effects and can cause death. So if the two of them buck up in the same space, it might be a big problem,” said Davis.

“So I would love for our citizens to take serious note of their environment, and whatever needs to be done, and if they can’t manage it, to call the public health department and be advised on how to deal with such issues,” added Davis.

The St James Health Department has been carrying out ongoing vector-control exercises in the parish to reduce the spread of the mosquito-borne dengue virus, resulting in a record-low Aedes index of seven per cent in January.

However, during Thursday’s meeting, health department representatives revealed that some residents have become lax in dengue-prevention measures.

More than 80 people have died from dengue in the last 27 months.

Jamaica has registered 12 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with none being fatal. There have been more than 175,000 infections and 6,700 deaths globally.

Davis said that in an effort to curb the spread of disease, the municipal corporation was prepared to remove abandoned motor vehicles along community roadways, harbouring mosquitoes and rodents.

“We need to have a joint drive between the municipal corporation, the National Solid Waste Management Authority, and the police, to go in these communities where vehicles are parked along the roadway, and I’m prepared to engage some wrecking companies to come in and do some serious removal,” the mayor said.

“They are breeding sites for rodents and mosquitoes. Plus, some of these old vehicles are used as a cover for people with devious intentions.”