Health ministry: No spike in dengue cases

With an increase in the mosquito population since the passage of Hurricane Beryl, the Ministry of Health and Wellness announced that there is currently no major spike in dengue cases.

Speaking at a press conference at the offices of the Ministry of Health and Wellness today, portfolio minister Dr Christopher Tufton said with only two weeks after the passage of the Category 4 storm, the nation can expect a further increase in the mosquito population.

“Before the passage of the hurricane, the BI index, which measures the number of positive containers per hundred houses, was very low at a figure of approximately 18.6. Meaning that for every 100 houses that were inspected, just about 18.6 had evidence of mosquito breeding, and it's not a very bad statistic,” Dr Tufton said. 

Among the increase were the nuisance mosquitoes that bite and sing, but do not carry the dengue virus, he noted.

“We thought it was important to make that distinction. Although we accept that whether they have the virus or not, the fact that they're a nuisance is a problem to the nation and the people of Jamaica,” the minister said. 

Since the start of the year, and as at July 16, the National Surveillance Unit in the Ministry of Health and Wellness recorded 1,406 cases of dengue.

During January 2024, there were 634 cases; while during February 2024, there were 249 cases; during March 2024, there were 251 cases; while during April 2024, there were 120 cases; during May 2024, there were 78 cases; and during June 2024, there were 51 cases. 

Nonetheless, the disease is cause for concern because at the end of 2023, there were 10,362 cases of dengue reported.

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