The health and environment ministry is reporting a spike in the number of cases of dengue fever in the island between July and September over several parishes.

At a press briefing at its headquarters in downtown Kingston yesterday, Health Minister Rudyard Spencer said the ministry’s active surveillance and monitoring system has shown that there have been 154 confirmed cases and 975 suspected cases of the mosquito-borne disease over the three months. He said children and young persons were most affected.

“…Dengue is always circulating at low levels in Jamaica, however, we have seen an increase in the number of cases that would not normally be reported at this time,” Spencer told journalists.

In fact, the minister said this is “the highest number of reported cases since 1998”.

He said there have also been five suspected cases of the severe complication of dengue heamorrhagic fever with one confirmed death so far.

In the meantime, Spencer said the government has approved an additional $25 million for vector control activities to focus on the parishes of St Catherine, Clarendon, Kingston, St Andrew and Portland, which have been identified as the most affected areas. He said donor partners have committed to providing additional resources to assist in the vector control activities while the ministry’s field staff will be focusing on identifying, treating and eradicating mosquito breeding sites.

He said surveillance activities for early detection of cases have also been increased and additional test kits ordered for the University Hospital of the West Indies where the laboratory tests are being carried out.

He warned that persons who contracted the disease previously are still at risk.

“There are four types of dengue and all have been reported in Jamaica over the past 30 years. This means one can get dengue four times. If you have had dengue fever before you can still get dengue again,” Spencer said yesterday.

The health minister said type two, one of the more severe types, has been identified at this time and that the increase in the number of cases of dengue is a result of climatic changes, especially as they relate to post-hurricane conditions and the rainy season now being experienced.

Yesterday, the minister also announced that $10 million of the $25 million allocated to fight the dengue outbreak is to be dedicated to halt the spread of leptospirosis, saying that “there has been an increase in the vermins, especially in and around the corporate area, where their habitats are now flooded out”.

“We have launched a very serious attack on rats; we can ill afford for our children to be exposed to those rats,” Spencer pointed out.

The last leptospirosis outbreak was recorded in 2005. Up until September of this year, there have been 100 confirmed cases. Last year, there were 184 confirmed cases.