PORT ANTONIO, Portland — With three of 30 Haitians who landed on Portland’s shores in late September testing positive for malaria, medical officials are again urging members of the public to hand over illegal immigrants as they are a potential health risk.

“All three were adult males. All three males were asymptomatic; that is, they had no symptoms. These findings underscore the importance of disease surveillance being conducted among persons who enter our country from jurisdictions where infectious diseases of public health significance are circulating,” said Chief Medical Officer for Health Dr Sharon Lewis.

She was speaking during last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Portland Municipal Corporation. Dr Lewis noted that malaria is just one of the areas of worry.

“Two infectious diseases of major public health concern, which are circulating in Haiti, are malaria and cholera. Fortunately, none of the Haitians who have come to the parish of Portland have been diagnosed with cholera,” she said.

The most recent boatload of Haitians being referenced landed at Ross Craig in eastern Portland on September 22 and left the beach shortly after. The local police launched a search and by 3:15 pm 10 of them were found. By the next day, the number had risen to 30 and they were all taken to the Port Antonio Health Centre for health checks.

Ten per cent of those screened had malaria.

Dr Lewis noted that in recent years, up to 2024, all malaria tests on Haitians illegally entering Portland had returned negative results. The recent change is cause for concern. In addition to the three most recent positive results, four of 85 malaria tests done on Haitians who had previously made their way by boat to Jamaica have indicated the presence of the disease.

“I therefore implore our citizens to hand over all displaced Haitians who may have entered their communities through unofficial forms and who are not screened by the health team to the police so that they can be taken to the health team for screening,” the medical official urged.

“There is a very serious risk for the reintroduction of malaria, and possibly cholera, if displaced Haitians remain in our communities without receiving the necessary health assessments. The health department has, however, conducted thermal plugging into the area where the Haitians landed and at the location where they were processed. We will also be paying closer attention to the breeding sites of the Anopheles mosquito, the vector of the malaria parasite, to implement the necessary public health measures at active breeding sites across the parish to reduce the risk of transmission.

“The cooperation of the public is vital to our success in preventing the reintroduction of malaria and other diseases into Jamaica,” she said.

Dr Lewis added that the health department was informed that all 30 Haitians were repatriated, along with five others who were found.

— Everard Owen