MEDICAL entomologist at the Ministry of Health and Wellness Sherine Huntley Jones says Jamaicans should expect to see more rodents, flies, and mosquito breeding sites around their houses due to the impact of Hurricane Beryl.

“Following an event such as Hurricane Beryl we are likely to have an increase in mosquito breeding, flies, and rodents for various reasons. Rats live in burrows and once those are flooded out they are going to seek refuge in our homes, so usually after a flooding event we are likely to see an increase in rodents in our homes and an increase in human-to-rodent contact and there are oftentimes going to be an increase in the fly population because of the accumulation of solid waste,” she said during a press conference on Thursday at the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

Huntley Jones urged Jamaicans to practise proper solid waste management to make living environments uncomfortable for rodents and flies, noting that the increase in the rodent population will mostly affect parishes that were severely impacted by Hurricane Beryl.

“Rats like water, food, and they are looking for somewhere to live, but you can’t entertain them, [and] if you are providing water and access to food then you are entertaining them, and so in order to chase them away you have to make the environment uncomfortable, and that is simply by just removing access to foods,” she said.

As it relates to the increase in mosquito breeding sites, Jones said that, out of the 74 species of mosquitoes in Jamaica, there will be a likely increase among four to six of these species, including the Aedes aegypti, mainly because of their close relation to domestic spaces.

Huntley Jones is urging Jamaicans to work with the Government to eliminate these sites by covering water storage tanks and eliminating any settled water as best as possible.

“Anywhere water is now settling and stands for over seven days we are going to have breeding in those water bodies, and this will result in the increase in the mosquito population, and we are seeing this in a lot of our communities that would have been affected following the passage of Hurricane Beryl,” she explained.

“A solution that we have been promoting for many years is the use of the drum cover. It is very effective in reducing the breeding of the Aedes aegypti and this was promoted as a solution for our population in Jamaica because our main breeding sites are those 45 gallon drums,” said Jones.

However, she emphasised that the Aedes aegypti mosquito is the only species that is currently acting as a vector.

She added that Jamaicans should still take precautionary actions to protect themselves physically because in many areas there are breeding sites that are not as visible and obvious to the average citizen.

“A lot of us have plants in and around the homes, like remedial plants, that are acting as containers for mosquito breeding at this time, and so when we visit sometimes and we say to persons that they have mosquitoes and they say to us that they do not have containers, we are finding these plants in and around the homes, [and] because of how the leaves overlap it creates a containerised environment,” she explained.

In the meantime, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton announced that there will be an addition of around 400 temporary vector-control workers who will be assigned to high risk communities to identify breeding sites and to assist with fogging activities.“We have extended fogging activities to seven days a week, and these are being conducted both in the morning and evenings, with special emphasis on urban centres and high-risk communities. As such, we are covering some 18 to 20 communities per fogging session and 30 for larvicidal work,” he said.

He explained that the ministry will be engaging private pest control operators to expand the number of foggers available to intensify the fogging activities in the highly affected areas.

As of July 16, Jamaica has recorded 1,406 suspected and probable cases of dengue since the start of the year, with only five of these cases being confirmed alongside one confirmed death. However, between 2023 and 2024 Jamaica recorded 29 dengue-related deaths, 19 of which is suspected and 10 confirmed.

Chief medical officer at the Ministry of Health and Wellness Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie highlighted that 16 of the 29 dengue-related deaths were people who had one or more comorbidities and used the opportunity to remind people with non-communicable diseases to prioritise active treatment to lessen the chances of contracting severe dengue.

“Even as we speak about dengue we have to be reminded about the impact of non-communicable diseases and the fact that persons must ensure that they are taking their medication and are seeking care in terms of control of their non-communicable diseases because we saw the impact in COVID,” she said.