THE Ministry of Health cannot, at this point, say whether the dengue outbreak has plateaued, as a number of suspected cases are still being reported.

This was disclosed by Dr Yohance Rodriquez of the Kingston and St Andrew (KSW) Health Department at last week Thursday’s Parish Disaster Preparedness and Public Health Committee meeting of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation.

Dr Rodriquez said the decline in dengue cases would have to take place over a four-week period before it could be stated that the outbreak has reached a plateau.

The KSA Health Department reported that from January 1, 2019 to last week Thursday, it received reports of 385 suspected cases of dengue in the municipality. During the period, there were 12 suspected deaths from dengue, he said.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the committee, Beverly Prince, said that she had learnt that each councillor was to be allocated $500,000 to help to fight the dengue problem. To get the money, councillors will have to submit a detailed plan of the projects on which the money will be spent.

People’s National Party (PNP) Councillor Venesha Phillips (Papine division) said that her division was one of the hotspots listed by the Ministry of Health as having a high risk for dengue. She asked the KSA Health Department for suggestions as to how the funds she received could be best used to make an impact on the dengue outbreak in her division.

Dr Rodriquez said that control of the vector and health education for personal protection would help the residents.

“We, at the health department, could organise sessions with the community,” he offered.

In the meantime, Winnifred Meeks, chief public health inspector for the KSA, suggested that the search-and-destroy approach for areas with vector could be effective. However, she said that recently, high winds had curtailed the department’s fogging programme.