KINGSTON, Jamaica – Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Marion Bullock DuCasse is urging people to properly cover water storage containers to prevent mosquito breeding.

Dr DuCasse says one of the key ways to combat vector borne diseases such as dengue fever and chikungunya is to prevent the breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads these viruses.

“The Aedes aegypti mosquito generally breeds in clean water around the home, school, places of worship, business places and other areas where persons generally gather. Persons should therefore ensure that water storage containers are tightly covered to prevent mosquitoes from entering,” Dr DuCasse said.

She said special attention should be paid to drums that are used to store water as they have been found to be the main breeding sites for mosquitoes. If mesh is used to cover containers then the holes should be small enough so that mosquitoes cannot enter.

Dr DuCasse added that individuals should also get rid of mosquito breeding sites by looking for anything in which water can settle and either cover it, keep the area dry, clean it regularly, fill it with soil or sand, punch holes into it and recycle or properly dispose of it.