THE hospitalisation of a man diagnosed with malaria last week has sparked fear among residents of Mountain View Avenue in Kingston that they could become infected by the potentially deadly disease.

The man, a 25-year-old resident of Jacques Road in the area, was reportedly tested for malaria by public health officials in January, but was just informed last week of his status. He has been admitted at the Kingston Public Hospital since Tuesday.

The Sunday Observer was told that public health officials have been visiting the area since January, at least once weekly, to administer anti-malarial drugs and pass out flyers about the disease. The group last visited on Thursday, during which time scores of residents were said to have been tested for the disease.

“The first time is like a beg them have to beg people to come and do it, but like yesterday (Thursday) the road full of people,” one resident of Jacques Road who identified herself only as Wendy told this newspaper on Friday.

“Is whole heap of them (health officials) come. Is about two bus load of them did come,” added another resident who rolled up his sleeve to show where he had been injected by a member of the team.

Wendy said other persons have, since last week, been complaining of symptoms associated with the disease, such as joint pain and vomiting.

“Mi hear that is six people have it, but I don’t know how true that is,” she said.

Another resident said that in addition to the weekly visits by health officials, a group has been coming in daily to carry out vector control operations during the evenings.

“Mi not telling no lie, the thing (spray) affect me bad. It just block up my throat and make me sneeze,” complained Kerisa, another resident. “But mi no see what them a do, because by the time them gone, the mosquito come back.”

Another resident, who identified herself as Beverley, believed the build-up of rubbish in a nearby gully in the area was the reason for the malaria case, even as many speculated that it was somehow connected to what was happening in Haiti where a powerful earthquake killed hundreds of thousands and left millions homeless a month ago.

“Only when the rain fall the gully get to flush out, so if them get some power wash to flush it out, that would be good”, said Beverley.

Efforts to get the Ministry of Health to confirm the residents’ story were unsuccessful. When contacted, director of health promotion and protection Dr Eva Lewis-Fuller said she was unaware of the situation as she was on leave. She directed us to the ministry’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Sheila Campbell-Forrester who, we were told, was off the island.

Malaria is transmitted when female Anopheles mosquitoes, infected with any of certain protozoans, bite people. Symptoms of the disease include fever, shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and other flu-like illnesses. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea may also occur.

There were 11 confirmed cases of the disease in sections of Portmore in 2009. In 2006, residents in some sections of the Corporate Area were quarantined following an outbreak of the disease in Denham Town, Tivoli Gardens, Trench Town and Delacree Park in Kingston and sections of Portmore, Church Pen and Sydenham Villas in St Catherine. Other parishes, including Clarendon, St Thomas and St Elizabeth also experienced outbreaks of malaria, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the island close to 300 by February 2007.

On Friday, residents and those who work off Jacques Road said they are not taking any chances.

“It’s a serious issue,” said woodworker Dale Martin. “We just try not to keep any water in the area for them (mosquitoes) to breed up or anything.”

Meanwhile, the mother of the hospitalised man said that he was doing well.

“Him not too bad. Him say they are giving him tablets and them take blood from him,” she said.