Dengue Fever Information and Tips from the Ministry of Health
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus and is endemic in Jamaica. The virus is transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito. The Aedes is the same vector that transmits the chikungunya and zika viruses.
Symptoms
Symptoms for dengue typically begin three to 14 days after infection. This may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a skin rash. Symptoms usually last two to seven days. There is no specific treatment for dengue, but access to proper medical care reduces mortality rates.
Prevention
The best way to prevent dengue is to avoid mosquito bites. The Ministry of Health is reiterating the importance of personal protection against mosquito bites, including the destruction of breeding sites in or around the home.
Destroy Breeding Sites
Breeding sites include old tires, laundry tanks, covered tanks/cisterns, drum/barrels, discarded buckets and containers, pet dishes, construction blocks, bottles, discarded tin cans, tree holes and bamboo, bottle pieces on top of walls, old shoes, flower pots, discarded toys, roof guttering, bromeliad plants, garden containers and tools, brick holes, and unmaintained wading/swimming pools.
Stay Protected
Whilst the Ministry, continues to heighten its mosquito control activities island-wide, the St. Catherine Municipal Corporation urges staff members and all St. Catherine residents, to take the necessary precautionary measures to stay protected.
