Health Ministry issues dengue prevention tips

The Health Ministry is reminding Jamaicans to take steps to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes, which can cause dengue fever.

Director of the Health Promotion and Protection Branch in the Ministry of Health, Dr Kevin Harvey, says outbreaks usually occur during the rainy season, which typically leads to an increase in the breeding of mosquitoes.

Dengue fever is caused by a virus transmitted from the Aedes Aegypti mosquito that can breed easily in and around the home.

Dr Harvey recommends that householders repair leaky pipes and outdoor taps, cut grass cut short and keep shrubbery well trimmed so adult mosquitoes will not hide there,

Laboratory tests have confirmed 180 cases of the disease since the start of the year, out of 472 cases reported to the Ministry of Health.

Prevention tips

*Keep refrigerator drawers dry

*Punch holes in the bottom of tins before placing them in the garbage

*Cover trash containers to keep rain water out.

*Properly cover drums, barrels, tanks, buckets and any other containers used to store water.

radio@gleanerjm.com