Mandeville, Manchester — As is the case across the country, local authorities in the south central parishes of Manchester, Clarendon and St Elizabeth are on a campaign to destroy mosquito-breeding sites ahead of the expected arrival of the Zika virus.

The Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA), which has overall responsibility for the three parishes, said it has stepped up public education strategies, including hosting town hall and community meetings, house-to-house education and distribution of leaflets.

The SRHA said it has also partnered with the Ministry of Education in training guidance counsellors and teachers to get information to students.

A plan to deal with possible patient overload had been developed, the SRHA said.

The SRHA and parish councils have also been involved in the employment and training of temporary workers to assist with health education and the destruction of mosquito-breeding sites.

Health officials say people can combat mosquitoes by disposing of containers — including bottles, metal objects, plastic bags and paper-based boxes — which may contain even small amounts of water, allowing the bloodsucking insect to breed. Drums and other legitimate water containers should be carefully covered to prevent entry to mosquitoes. Leaking pipes should be repaired, blocked drains cleared, and areas where water may settle should be filled in.

Experts say the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads dengue, chikungunya (CHIKV) and Zika viruses, typically lives close to people in homes, schools, workplaces and places of worship. The viruses are spread when mosquitoes bite infected individuals and then proceed to bite other people.

The dengue virus arrived in Jamaica in the 1970s, and chikungunya swept through the population in 2014. Both dengue and ChikV which have similar symptoms, including muscle pain and high fever, caused serious health issues. While the Zika virus – which in some ways is said to be similar to Dengue and ChikV – is yet to be diagnosed in Jamaica, it has been identified in a growing number of Latin American and Caribbean countries, including neighbouring Haiti . Experts say it will only be a matter of time before it arrives here.

Alarm regarding the Zika virus has intensified in recent weeks following linking of the disease to a condition known as microcephaly, which can cause premature births, increased infant death and birth defects, including intellectual disability.

The link between Zika Virus and Microcephaly was first made in Brazil in recent months. Health officials in that country say thousands of babies have been born with smaller than usual brains and skulls when previously there were only a few.

The Jamaican Government recently followed the example of several other countries in urging women to try to avoid pregnancy at this time. Those already pregnant have been warned to do their utmost to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

A release from the St Elizabeth Parish Council said the parish’s health department recently trained over fifty temporary vector control workers who have been in the field sensitising residents about the Zika virus.

At recent parish council monthly meetings in St Elizabeth and Manchester, Mayor of Mandeville Brenda Ramsay and Mayor of Black River Everton Fisher urged councillors to proactively lead the way in public education programmes.

In Clarendon, the parish council is to join with the health department in removing discarded tyres primarily at tyre repair shops. Discarded or improperly stored tyres have also been identified as a main breeding site for the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.

Clarendon’s Chief Public Health Inspector Linnees Green-Baker called for closer collaboration with private and public agencies in order to achieve greater efficiency in anti-mosquito strategies.

“We need to strengthen response and get buy-in from agencies such as the NWC, NSWMA, as well as get the private sector to come on board fully,” Green-Baker was quoted as saying in a release from the Clarendon Parish Council. “We will be approaching the police to assist us with controlling traffic in the town centre (May Pen) so as to fog the town. We want people to act on the information we are giving to them, but we as agencies must enable them by giving them garbage bags and mesh covers, for example, to prevent the breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, ” she said.