HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has indicated that, if necessary, the police could be engaged to support vector control workers in the fight to stem the spread of dengue, which has so far resulted in 63 deaths.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Dr Tufton highlighted the latest incident in which vector workers deployed by his ministry were attacked in Trench Town, St Andrew. One worker was injured.

He said this type of attack is illegal and individuals can be prosecuted.

“The message has to be sent clearly that these are persons doing a public good; it’s an essential service. We have an outbreak and they should be allowed to do their jobs in the interest of the public,” he said.

The health minister pointed out that sometimes the threat to vector workers is of legal action.

“In those cases, we use the law to enforce. So if we have to, we will. The police are stretched, but we think this is also sufficiently important,” he continued.

“I want to really appeal to Jamaicans to recognise the importance of the vector workers, give them access, and listen to them because they are trained to provide some guidance,” the health minister stressed.

“We are relieved that they were treated and released, but it could’ve been a lot worse,” he said in reference to the Trench Town incident. “For the life of me I can’t understand why you’re trying to help somebody and they’re refusing the help in that kind of aggressive way. It’s a reflection of the challenges we face with this issue, where people are just not retaining sufficiently to appreciate that there is a threat, that this has to be a part of the approach of dealing with that threat,” Dr Tufton said.

According to the ministry, 6,000 notices have so far been issued to individuals and institutions guilty of harbouring breeding sites.

“You can be charged up to $1 million if found to be in that position,” he said.

In October, the minister told the Jamaica Observer that vector control workers had been denied access to about 40 per cent of the homes they visit, despite workers presenting identification.

He said, to have meaningful access, workers need at least 80 per cent access.

Tufton stressed that dengue has evolved and has become more aggressive, and all Jamaicans must use preventative measures to push back against the spread of the mosquito-borne disease, which has been declared a pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean.

There have been more than two million cases of dengue and 800 deaths in the first seven months of this year across the region.

“The country has to come to terms with the regional and global scientifically demonstrated context of the dengue virus [and] the Aedes aegypti mosquito, and the threat that it presents to our population,” he reasoned.

The health minister pointed out that since successive outbreaks over the years, dengue now has greater negative implications for the population and requires a different response.

“It is going to require a whole-of-society approach. It’s going to require individual responsibility,” he stated.

Dr Tufton urged people to consistently use preventative measures, such as eradicating mosquito-breeding sites, using repellents and insecticides, and not only depending on Government intervention such as fogging.

He also said that the ministry has now procured 36 motor vehicles dedicated to fogging, which should be rolled out in another week. He said this should increase fogging cycles in vulnerable communities from once every three weeks, to once weekly.

To date, the country has spent an estimated $581 million on the dengue response and the Government recently announced that there will be a $1-billion expenditure over the next three months to enhance the intervention.