ST JAMES, Jamaica — The fight against mosquito-borne illnesses in St Elizabeth is showing promising signs with the Aedes index, a key measure of mosquito breeding, hitting its lowest point this year.

Medical Officer of Health for St Elizabeth Health Services, Dr Tonia Dawkins-Beharie, said the Aedes index is now at 8.7 per cent, a significant drop from previous levels.

“This is the lowest it has been since the start of the year,” Dr Dawkins-Beharie stated, while addressing the monthly meeting of the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation in Black River on Thursday, May 9.

“We want it to be less than 10 per cent, and over the past two to three years, this is the lowest it has been,” she added.

The decline in the Aedes index has been accompanied by a notable decrease in reported dengue cases in the parish, she noted.

However, Dr Dawkins-Beharie cautioned against complacency, particularly with the onset of the rainy season.

She explained that the Aedes mosquito population, which is responsible for diseases such as dengue, chikungunya virus (Chik V), Zika virus (Zik V) and yellow fever, could rise with the current rains, as there will be an abundance of “fresh, nice, clean water”.

Dr Dawkins-Beharie is, therefore, advising the people of St Elizabeth to check in and around their homes and workplaces for active breeding sites, as mosquitoes are able to breed in the smallest quantities of water.

“You will see the mosquito larvae like worms wiggling in the water and if you don’t see any, we ask you to empty those containers that have water,” she urged.

“[Also], in water storage containers, such as drums, in which we will see most of our breeding, we ask that you cover them. We ask everybody to take those measures. Search and destroy breeding sites,” she added.

The Aedes index refers to the percentage of premises or homes in a limited, well-defined space, where actual breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito is found and the total number of houses examined in that area.

In the meantime, Dr Dawkins-Beharie is reminding the public to protect themselves from mosquito bites by wearing long sleeves, avoiding dark colours, and using mosquito repellent.

“So even though we’re trending down with our mosquito burden and our dengue cases, we remain ever vigilant, especially in this rainy season,” she said.

— JIS