Westmoreland health officials used ‘National Mosquito Day’ to sensitise residents

Western Bureau:

With Jamaica in the middle of the hurricane season and dengue cases on the rise, public health inspectors (PHIs) in Westmoreland used National Mosquito Day, on August 20, to remind Jamaicans that no weapon thrashes mosquito-borne diseases like community action, especially against the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.

“The importance of National Mosquito Day is to inform the public in different ways on how to prevent mosquito breeding sites, so we can reduce mosquito-borne diseases,” explained Raymar Scott, vector control coordinator for Westmoreland.

For Scott, the timing of the event is critical.

“Because we are in a tropical area, we are open to a lot of different type of mosquitoes, different type of mosquito-borne diseases. But the ones that we are mostly focused on today is dengue, which is transmitted by … the female Aedes Aegypti mosquito,” said Scott.

According to Scott, because of Jamaica’s climate, a lot of mosquito breeding sites pop up frequently.

“Because we are actually now in the hurricane season, that also increases the risks of mosquito-borne diseases because of the rainfall and the increased number of breeding sites as well.”

The parade in Savanna-la-Mar ties directly into Jamaica’s fight against dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. Scott noted, “The good thing about it is that Aedes Aegypti mosquito is what transmits dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika. So, once we get rid of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, or control them, we control all those mosquito-borne diseases.”

But mosquito control is not a one-off activity, as it also entails daily, parishwide operations.

Scott outlined the team’s approach.

FOGGING EXERCISES

“We do health education, that’s number one. We also do adult (mosquito) activities, that is fogging, where the workers will go around with their swing fog machines.” Optionally, there is the ultra-low volume (ULV) fogging machines which the workers would use to conduct fogging exercises in the evenings or early mornings, based on the time of year.

“Also, we do larvicidal activities where we try to get rid of the larvae in different breeding sites. We also do oiling in drains, settle the water bodies and stuff like that. So those are our main focuses.”

The parish has managed to keep mosquito breeding levels lower than in previous years.

“The parish is currently at 8.8 per cent, as at July 2025. The target is five per cent but it is significant to note that, normally during the hurricane season, it tends to go well beyond 10 per cent, and we have been managing below 10 per cent for a while now,” Scott pointed out.

For all the fogging and oiling, Scott stressed that one of the biggest challenges remains community buy-in.

“The most concerning aspect currently is just continuing to get the support of the public. Because there were times, and there are still times, but not as much as before, where the residents were not so receptive of the vector control team.”

As such, Scott says the team has found a different way to approach community members.

“Currently, we use the 4S’s … 4S’s stands for supporting the vector control team: self-protection where you protect yourself from mosquito bites, seek medical attention if you so happen to get infected, and search and destroy. So you yourself can go around your own premises and you look for mosquito breeding sites and you can help the cause as well.”

Certain areas of the parish are more at risk than others, especially upland communities where residents must store water. “So communities up in the hills like Lambs River, Seaforth Town, Struie … they always have to be storing water. So, those, we classify them as high risk,” Scott explained.

The interactive parade was one way to spread the message of prevention. Sasharna Matalie, vector control specialist for Westmoreland, said the goal was to meet residents where they are.

“So, we would have arranged this very interactive session that we’re coming out for World Mosquito Day today …. We have our mascots there. And just to have an educational interaction with the public, reminding them that, you know, dengue is very much still around, and reminding them of the 4S’s of vector control,” she said.

The team has been consistent in bringing education to communities across the parish.

“What we have been doing, since even last year, we’ve been having what we call Blitz. We go around to different town centres. So we have been to Grange Hill, we have been to Negril, Bethel Town, Darliston, and even in Sav. So, we try to do that on days that … we have more population, more persons around.”

EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION

The team mainly focuses on Fridays when they would play jingles, give out educational information and flyers, and interact with persons and remind them about mosquito-borne diseases.

The feedback, Matalie says, has been eye-opening.

“There are still persons who did not know that dengue is still active, it’s still around.”

With other health concerns, outbreaks and pandemics often taking precedence, Matalie believes that mosquito-borne illnesses fall back.

“So we’re just reminding persons to do search and destroy … around the community.”

While dengue remains the focus, the vector control team also has its eyes on other pests.

“There is a continued growing rodent issue in Savanna-la-Mar. That is … not only a health department issue. It has to be an intersectoral collaboration along with the local board of health, that is the municipal corporation,” Scott admitted.

He pointed to infrequent garbage collection as one of the drivers of the rodent problem.

“They have to get involved as well. Because a lot of the rodent proliferation that is happening is contributed because of the solid waste management issue. We don’t have a frequent collection of solid waste. So that is one of the issues that we are facing.”

For now, though, the emphasis remains on mosquito control, and both Scott and Matalie agree that it takes everyone’s efforts to make the parish safer.

“Once we get rid of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, or control them, we control all those mosquito-borne diseases,” Scott reminded.

mickalia.kington@gleanerjm.com