KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Health and Wellness continues to enhance its vector-control programme in response to the increased mosquito population.

Portfolio Minister Christopher Tufton provided an update in a statement to the House of Representatives on October 15.

“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 said.

He noted, too, that the complement of permanent vector-control workers has increased.

“Currently, we have approximately 492 permanent vector-control workers… in 2022, we had 213 vector workers. This Government has put the budget in place, created the posts where we have, to date, doubled the workers in the field. This represents a 131 per cent increase in our complement of vector workers. We have an additional 377 posts to fill as part of the full complement,” the minister said.

He noted, further, that he has given instructions for the regional technical directors to meet with parish managers and vector teams to allow for additional overtime hours and, where necessary, to engage additional temporary workers through to the end of the season, in anticipation of the later expected rise in the mosquito population.

Tufton informed as well that fogging will be conducted at schools on the weekends.

“We will be working through the Ministry of Education in doing so because the schools are a breeding site and can pose a risk to our students and staff,” he said.

He pointed out that more details will be provided on a clean-up programme that will be introduced towards the end of October going into November.

Meanwhile, he noted that as of October 2025, 81 per cent of the national vector-control vehicular fleet is operational, with 52 vehicles in service.

“This level of functionality supports ongoing work in the field,” he said.

Tufton informed that the swing fog is currently 84 per cent operational, with 139 handheld foggers in service.

“These machines are critical to the fogging efforts in the field,” the minister emphasised.

He said Jamaica is currently experiencing a notable increase in mosquito populations across multiple species, particularly nuisance mosquitoes, in and around domestic spaces.

The minister pointed out that the recent shift from drought to intense rainfall has created ideal conditions for mosquito breeding.

He said the rise in mosquito populations poses several challenges, including greater nuisance biting, affecting daily activities and sleep; increased demand for vector-control interventions, including fogging, larviciding, and source reduction; as well as elevated risk of disease outbreaks, especially in vulnerable communities.

Tufton urged Jamaicans to search for and destroy mosquito breeding sites.

— JIS