Although Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton acknowledged that dengue infections have fallen sharply, compared to last year, he is urging Jamaicans to remain on high alert as recent heavy rains and increased mosquito breeding could threaten to reverse the current trend.

Speaking in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Dr Tufton reported that dengue activity has remained “below the normal epidemic threshold since September 2024”. He said that, as of October 13 this year, there were 23 dengue cases recorded for the month of September — far below the epidemic threshold of 257. He described the 2025/2026 dengue season as either “delayed in onset, or a low activity season”.

However, he warned that the apparent calm could be short-lived, given the recent transition from drought to intense rainfall, which has created ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes.

“When in drought, we often turn to water storage practices that unintentionally create breeding sites, so the use of drums, tanks, buckets… when rains return, these containers, along with clogged drains, discarded items, and natural depressions, become filled with water-triggering explosive mosquito breeding sites,” he explained.

While the Aedes aegypti mosquito — the main vector that transmits dengue — has not yet shown a significant population rise, Dr Tufton said authorities expect “an increase in this disease-carrying type by the end of October into November”. He also highlighted that Jamaica is currently experiencing a “notable increase in mosquito populations across multiple species, particularly nuisance mosquitoes”, which have been troubling residents islandwide.

The minister also drew attention to the sudden rise in soil-breeding mosquito species, which lay their eggs on damp or semi-dry soil in flood-prone areas. These species, he noted, have adapted to survive long dry periods and hatch rapidly once heavy rains arrive.

“The result is a sudden, dramatic increase in adult mosquito populations, especially among several aggressive and nuisance-biting mosquito species. This surge follows a period of drought succeeded by heavy rainfall, and is a climatic pattern that significantly influences mosquito-breeding dynamics,” he explained.

He highlighted data from the National Surveillance Unit showing that up to October 11, 2025, there have been 379 dengue cases this year, compared to 1,819 for the same period in 2024. There have been two dengue-related deaths recorded in both years.

Despite these comparatively low figures, Dr Tufton said the Government was not taking any chances.

“Our vector workers have been actively engaged in the field with the intensification of adulticiding and larviciding activities in response to increased mosquito populations and heightened risk of vector-borne diseases,” he told the House.

He noted that the health ministry now employs approximately 492 permanent vector control workers — a 131 per cent increase since 2022 — with an additional 377 positions to be filled soon. These workers, he said, are being supported through extended hours and temporary hires in anticipation of a later-than-usual dengue season.

To bolster prevention efforts, Dr Tufton announced plans for weekend fogging of schools, additional clean-up campaigns towards the end of October, and a continued partnership with the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences (ICENS) on the sterile insect technique (SIT) project, which uses radiation to render male mosquitoes infertile.

“The project has now moved to the phase of radiating the mosquitoes,” he said, adding that “the first set of releases are projected for the fourth quarter”.

At present, 81 per cent of the ministry’s vector control vehicle fleet is operational, along with 139 hand-held fogging machines, or 84 per cent of the national stock. These resources, the minister said, are being deployed to high-risk areas to reduce mosquito populations before dengue transmission intensifies.

Dr Tufton ended his statement with a call for Jamaicans to take personal responsibility in the fight against dengue, stressing that community cooperation remains essential.

“I reiterate that while our dengue numbers are low at this time, persons must continue to take precautions to prevent illness. Personal responsibility must become priority. We continue to reinforce the message that Jamaicans must search [for] and destroy mosquito breeding sites even as we lead with vector control measures,” he said.

“We must move with alacrity to search and destroy mosquito breeding sites — areas with standing water, such as puddles, water tanks, containers and old tyres. Places with undisposed garbage and poor sanitation also contribute to the spread of the insect. We must search and destroy,” he added.