WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — Public health teams in Westmoreland inspected more than 25,000 homes in January as part of intensified mosquito control measures, identifying nearly 3,000 premises with active breeding sites.

Chief Public Health Inspector, Steve Morris, reported that inspections were conducted in 2,209 localities during the month, resulting in the identification and treatment of thousands of mosquito‑breeding containers.

He outlined that 72,941 containers were found, with 6,259 confirmed as breeding mosquitoes.

Morris was addressing the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation’s monthly meeting, held recently in Savanna-la-Mar.

The large‑scale inspections formed part of intensified vector-control measures implemented following heavy rainfall and flooding associated with Hurricane Melissa, which heightened the risk of mosquito proliferation.

Morris reported that 116 communities were fogged in January, complemented by ongoing larvicidal interventions.

“Fogging is currently being done mornings and evenings, with larvicidal activities carried out during the day,” he explained.

Despite the high number of breeding sites detected, the parish registered a reduction in mosquito indices for January.

“We have seen a slight decrease… which is positive, and which is going in the right direction for us,” he noted, in reference to the reduction in the Aedes and Breteau indices when compared to December.

The chief public health inspector emphasised that sustained improvement will depend largely on residents taking responsibility for eliminating mosquito breeding sites within their premises.

“We… must, at least once per week, search and destroy breeding sites in and around our premises, or we’re going to continue to have this issue,” he urged.

Morris indicated that monitoring and fogging operations will continue across affected communities, with reinforced public education initiatives aimed at encouraging household responsibility in preventing mosquito‑borne diseases.

He underscored that the extent of breeding detected during inspections demonstrates the critical importance of sustained community participation in protecting public health.

— JIS