The number of malaria cases is still on the rise in Jamaica. Radiojamaica.com reported on Saturday, January 20 that the total number of infected cases was up to 248. Now, the jamaicaobserver.com, in an article entitled “Malaria Hits Greenwich Town” published online Wednesday, January 24 and citing Minister of Information and Development Donald Buchanan, makes the startling announcement that the Malaria Outbreak has spread from the originally affected areas of Trench Town, Denham Town, Tivoli Gardens and Delacree Park to Greenwich Town and Clarendon. However, there have been no fatalities from the disease to date.
Greenwich Town, situated in South West St. Andrew, has seen a major upsurge in Malaria infections, which has been traced to the Malaria hotspots in Kingston and St. Catherine. One case has also been identified in Clarendon.
Meanwhile, four Cubans have joined Vector Control teams to fight the Malaria Outbreak.
Previously, the indications were that the Malaria Outbreak was not being contained. This inspite of official Government pronouncements to the contrary. However, no information was released or revealed to categorically contradict the official Ministry of Health stance. That has all changed with the widening of the Malaria Belt outside of the focal points where, according to Dr. Sheila Campbell Forrester, acting Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, 50 mosquito breeding sites had been destroyed in the Corporate Area and St. Catherine back in December.
Data released on Friday 19 by the Jamaica Ministry of Health revealed that there was renewed transmission in areas that were considered to be under control just weeks ago. The Corporate Area (Denham Town, Tivoli Gardens, Greenwich Town, Trench Town, Delacree Park and Union Gardens) was then the focal point of continued surveillance by Vector Control.
Opposition Spokesman on Health, Dr. Ken Baugh, was exactly right though in stating that the growing number of new cases was a clear sign that the ongoing vector control programme was not effective. That programme has included source reduction and health education of the local population as well as residual spraying and fogging.
As regards fogging, a fresh round got underway on Saturday 20th with scheduled plans for completion by Tuesday 23. In that case, swaths of West Kingston, South and South-western St. Andrew should have been sprayed. Fogging was slated to continue in other sectors of St. Andrew.
Dr. Sheila Campbell Forester, speaking in her capacity as Acting Chief Medical Officer of Jamaica was reported earlier this month as saying that the rate of Malaria cases had declined to one to two per day in downtown Kingston and that no new cases were confirmed for the other areas that were affected at the outset of the Malaria Outbreak. Nonetheless, the number of confirmed Malaria cases grew from 209 as of January 10 to 220 by Sunday, 14th January. This according to Director of Emergency Services in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Marion Bullock- Ducasse in an interview.
A ban on mass gatherings was being maintained in all affected areas of Corporate Kingston and St. Catherine in support of Vector Control surveillance activities being undertaken there. Areas outside of the Malaria belt were not so restricted.
The fight against Malaria was further bolstered by a monetary donation from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to the Jamaica Ministry of Health on Sunday, January 10. The organisation’s Mission Director in Jamaica, Karen Turner, handed over the first of two equal instalments, a cheque amounting to US$100,000 (JA$6.18m) to the Minister of Health, Horace Dalley. Another contribution will be disbursed at the request of the Ministry of Health. This money is earmarked for fogging and spraying equipment to boost the Ministry’s malaria prevention and control programme.
In thanking the USAID, Minister Dalley commented that “it is the first time we have been presented with any money. We have been fighting on our own from the Ministry’s budget and what has been provided with the extra budgetary support from the Ministry of Finance and Planning, through Cabinet’s approval.”
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