HEALTH authorities are warning of a worrying rise in tetanus cases following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, even as they continue to navigate the recent outbreak of leptospirosis and the increased risk of other vector-borne diseases.

The message of the uptick was heralded by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Wellness Errol Greene, who was delivering an address at a Rotary Club of St Andrew North meeting on Monday. He noted that the mishandling of rusty debris has contributed to the increase in tetanus cases.

“We have gone on a massive public education campaign as it regards to tetanus, but we’ve seen an increase in those cases. As people go through [debris], they’re cut by rusty nails and zinc and other stuff,” said Greene.

The World Health Organization says tetanus, also known as lock jaw, is acquired through infection of a cut or wound with the spores of the bacterium clostridium tetani. These spores can be found anywhere in the environment, particularly in soil, ash, intestinal tracts/faeces of animals and humans, and on the surfaces of skin and rusty tools like nails, needles, and barbed wire.

The tetanus spike comes as Jamaica continues to manage a leptospirosis outbreak, also occurring shortly after the storm. The recent increase has resulted in the death of 14 people with 39 other cases confirmed thus far.

Greene, who called the current circumstances saddening, said health authorities have reported that they were ready to tackle the leptospirosis outbreak through the availability of medication.

“The National Health Fund and the Ministry of Health and Wellness have indicated that the inventory of pharmaceuticals to treat patients in the country are sufficient to manage the cases that are being seen for lepto, and suppliers are on alert to provide additional supply if required,” he said.

Furthermore, Greene, who emphasised the looming risk of broader vector-borne disease due to stagnant water and disrupted sanitation systems, told the meeting that public health inspectors were also deployed to ensure food safety.

“There are three critical environmental health concerns that will emerge: water safety, food safety, and excretion management. We had to jump on these things to manage and mitigate the moment that the wind stopped blowing,” he said.

“We had to get public health inspectors, import them from the south-east region, from as far as St Thomas, and take them to Westmoreland and St James to assist with the public education, food inspection, and water-quality inspection so that we could mitigate what would more than likely be an outbreak of some severe diseases and nasty consequences as a result,” said Greene.

He assured that the ministry is doing all that it can to ensure the health and safety of all Jamaicans, while providing health-care services to the population.

— Renae Osbourne