No recorded case of dengue in St Ann since December 2023
MEDICAL OFFICER of Health for St Ann, Dr Tamara Henry, says there has been no recorded case of dengue in the Garden Parish since last December.
Addressing the monthly sitting of the St Ann Municipal Corporation in St Ann’s Bay, St Ann, Dr Henry noted that as of January 10, there were 407 suspected cases of dengue, with 13 presumed and 78 confirmed.
“We want to say congrats to the populace, because they are doing what they are supposed to be doing and we are happy about that. We had our peak in October, but subsequently they kept trending down and I’m very happy about that,” Dr Henry said.
“We continue with our search-and-destroy activities. In the month of December, we visited over 7,000 premises and 105 of those were key premises. We were able to inspect 15,765 containers, 2,348 of those were positive, giving us a container index of 14.5 per cent, and we are happy about that, because in the month of November, we were at 19.71 per cent,” she added.
Dr Henry pointed out that 58 fogging sessions were done across the parish, noting that the activity was hindered by the weather conditions and that they will continue with the effort.
She warned, however, that dengue remains a clear and present danger and that everyone is at risk.
“We are seeing elevated indices in some areas, such as Douglas Castle, Hazelwood, Steer Town, Clapham, Lime Hall, Walkerswood, Moneague, Mines, Claremont, and Orange Hill, so please assist us by engaging the community members in those areas,” Dr Henry said.
“I want to say commendations to the team members from the St Ann Municipal Corporation, who have decided to put some measures in place to ensure we are heightening our sense of responsibility for the populace,” said Dr Henry, while pointing out that the local authority has also been helping with fogging activities across the parish.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Wellness is cautioning that dengue is still a concern for the country, and Jamaicans are reminded to take every precaution to safeguard themselves and their family from the illness.
Members of the public, the ministry urged, are not to use aspirin, diclofenac, ibuprofen, or any of the medications/pain relievers known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
These drugs, when used to treat the fever in dengue, have been known to increase the severity of the disease.
The country had on record 1,534 confirmed dengue cases as of Thursday, January 11. While dengue serotypes 2, 3 and 4 have been identified among the population, dengue serotype 2 remains the dominant strain.
At the same time, there have been a total of 19 dengue-related deaths – 13 classified as suspected and six as confirmed.
St Thomas continues to be the parish with the highest rate of 696.1 cases per 100,000 population, followed by Trelawny (551.7) and Hanover with 497.5 per 100,000.
The highest number of dengue cases continues to be observed in the five to 14-year-old cohort at a rate of 885.3 cases per 100,000 population.