Health Minister Horace Dalley says he will inform Cabinet tomorrow of a detailed national programme for malaria control which is being developed by experts in his ministry.

The minister made the announcement last Tuesday while being bombarded with questions from the Opposition about efforts to deal with the current outbreak of the disease in the Corporate Area and St Catherine.

He said that he has briefed the consular corps and senior officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade on the Government’s efforts to curtail the spread of the disease.

He also informed the House that the government of the Turks and Cacois Islands is sending health workers to Jamaica to assist the efforts, and Guyana has started sending technologists to assist with the reading of the smears. A laboratory technician from CAREC was also expected to arrive in the island on Tuesday to assist with the training of local technologists.

Opposition MP for South-West St Catherine, Everald Warmington, concerned about how persons with the disease in his constituency would be identified, questioned the minister extensively.

Warmington said that an American citizen, who contracted malaria while in Jamaica, was in Sydenham Villa and that three cases were identified in the Church Pen area of Old Harbour.

“I am unable to get any response from the Ministry,” said Warmington. “What is intended for these areas, as well as Whitewater Meadows, Magil Farms, Sydenham, Old Harbour Road and Church Pen. No attention paid to these areas even though cases have been found there?” the MP asked.

Dalley said that in Christian Pen, intensive work was done because of suspected cases and the area was fogged.

However, he said that critical people in his ministry indicated that all the parishes should start looking at their red flag areas. Among the areas he listed were Savanna-la-Mar and parts of Westmoreland; Port Antonio; parts of St James; and Port Maria.

“If you have any specific area that you are concerned about call into the ministry or parish MOH and give us the location and we will direct a team to this area,” he said.

“Christian Pen is South Central St Catherine,” Warmington explained. “The minister, himself, spoke of cases in Sydenham. His team treated three people from Church Pen, but no action taken in that area?”

Dalley said that he knew that work was done in Sydenham Villa, where the American visitor was diagnosed, but he couldn’t say about the others.