THE Aedes aegypti mosquito that causes dengue fever lives and breeds in clean fresh water and not dirty stagnant water as many persons believe, officials of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) Health Department told councillors on Tuesday.

Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Councillor John Myers (Lawrence Tavern division) said he was sceptical about fogging. “I don’t think fogging is working,” he said.

Myers said that in his childhood the public health department went into the gullies and put oil in the water to kill mosquitoes.

However, Dr Yohance Rodriquez of the KSAMC Health Department and Paul Ximes, senior public health inspector told the councillors that the Aedes aegypti mosquito “loves clean still water”.

Later Tuesday in an interview, Dr Shelline Huntley Jones, project manager for vector control at the MOH, told the Jamaica Observer that the 69 different species of mosquitoes in Jamaica liked different breeding sites.

She said that the Aedes aegypti, which spreads the dengue virus, likes a contained environment.

“The female Aedes aegypti mosquito likes clean, shaded water. They put their eggs on the side of containers just above the water line and when the container is filled with water the eggs will hatch,” she said.

She said that some of the breeding spots for the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were plants, dish drainers, broken bottles on security fences and toilet bowls used infrequently.

Meanwhile, in the discussion on dengue at the council meeting Dr Rodriquez said that dengue fever was endemic to Jamaica. He said that the symptoms it starts with were fever, muscle and joint pains, rashes, nausea, vomiting and loose stools. He said that the symptoms developed four to seven days after the mosquito bite and that persons most at risk were children under 10 years of age and people over 65 years old.

Asked by People’s National Party (PNP) councillor Neville Wright (Trench Town division) to name the “hot spots” in the dengue outbreak, Dr Rodriquez told councillors that the health department was in the process of gathering information to establish where these are based.

He said that the traditional hot spots for the dengue fever virus were along the coastline of Kingston and the Kingston 6 area.

“Later this week we will know where the hot spots are,” Dr Rodriquez promised.

And in response to a question from PNP Councillor Andrew Swaby (Vineyard Town division) as to whether a blood drive was on the cards in light of the dengue haemorrhagic fever threat, Dr Rodriquez said that he did not know.

PNP Councillor Audrey Smith Facey (Payne Land division) said that a public education and blood drive was urgently needed.

PNP Councillor Norman Perry (Duhaney Park division) said that in light of a suspected case in his division he wanted to know what was being done at the George Headley Primary as he wanted to ensure that the dengue virus did not spread.

JLP councillor Tosha Schwapp (Stony Hill division), in the meantime, suggested that councillors and the KSAMC staff lead a blood drive as the matter was of national importance.

And despite statements and updates from the minister, PNP Councillor Eugene Kelly (Whitfield Town divison) said that he wanted to know what was happening at the Ministry of Heath in regard to its response to the dengue outbreak.

“Where are the advertisements in the media?” He said that town criers were needed and that persons should be employed to sensitise communities about the dangers of the dengue virus.