DEPUTY chief public health inspector for Hanover, Fritz Francis, says the Hanover Health Department has made significant strides in its fight against the spread of dengue fever in the parish.

He told JIS News that there has been a sharp reduction in the number of suspected cases of the mosquito-borne disease, and the Aedes index has fallen to 10 per cent.

“We are coming from 30 per cent for the last two years, so that is good news for the parish,” he said.

Francis attributed the gains made to increase in staffing, an aggressive public education drive, daily destruction of mosquito breeding sites and consistent fogging in high-risk communities.

“We have increased our staffing to 50 [vector control workers] in the field. We have divided them into five groups, and we have dispatched them into the high-risk areas (such as) Woodsville, Cocoon Castle and Rock Spring. We have people operating in these areas on a daily basis, so they are monitoring all the larval activities,” he noted.

He said that the workers conduct regular house-to-house inspection as well as sensitise residents to take personal responsibility.

Francis also said that town-crier services were being employed to reach citizens in high-risk communities and major towns.

In terms of fogging activities, the deputy chief public health inspector said two teams continue to actively “respond to notifications and complaints. Anywhere we get the notification from, we concentrate our fogging activities there, so all our activities are heightened throughout the parish”.

Francis said that residents have been responding well to the vector control teams and are using the information to protect themselves and reduce mosquito breeding sites.

He said the health department will continue to be proactive in its vector control activities.