KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, is reporting a major decline in the cases of dengue across the island.

“At the peak of the outbreak in January this year, we had 1,943 cases. There has since been a significant fall in cases, with June 2019 having 124 cases to date,” he told the House of Representatives yesterday, Tuesday (July 23).

Tufton said it is anticipated that there will be an increase in the breeding of mosquitoes during the summer months, including those that carry the dengue virus.

He said that the first few weeks of July have seen the start of activities under the Enhanced Vector Control programme.

These include a comprehensive public education and media campaign, home inspections and destruction of breeding sites by 1,000 temporary vector control workers, and islandwide fogging by parish health departments.

 Tufton said that citizens have an important role to play in the control of mosquito-borne diseases by keeping their surroundings free of debris; destroying or treating potential mosquito breeding sites; wearing protective clothing; using a DEET-containing mosquito repellent; and, as much as possible, staying indoors with their windows and doors closed.

The health minister pointed out that dengue can be mistaken for other viral illnesses, and recommended that members of the public avoid the use of aspirin, diclofenac, ibuprofen or any of the medications/pain relievers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

“These drugs, when used to treat the fever in dengue, have been known to increase the severity of the disease. We, therefore, ask that the public use paracetamol or acetaminophen for fever and pain control,” he said.

As at July 22 (2019), there were 4,930 suspected, presumed or confirmed dengue cases. Of the total, there were 1,057 cases with dates of onset in 2018 and 3,873 with dates of onset in 2019, the ministry said.