Two Portmore communities identified with having heaviest concentration of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

Acting mayor of Portmore in St Catherine, Leon Thomas, says Gregory Park and Braeton have been identified as the communities in the municipality with the heaviest concentration of the mosquito which spreads the Zika virus (ZIKV).

He says the Health Ministry has asked that special attention be paid to those communities. 

ZIKV is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same one that spreads chikungunya. 

Speaking on RJR's Beyond the Headlines yesterday evening, the mayor said the municipality has been carrying out various activities to reduce the mosquito population while spreading information. 

Meanwhile, several other mayors are reporting that they have been intensifying their preparations for the impending outbreak of ZIKV in Jamaica.

The mayors of Kingston, Mandeville and Montego Bay say they have initiated several measures aimed at boosting public information and mosquito control. 

The Kingston mayor Dr Angela Brown Burke says the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation's anti-ZIKV campaign is being pursued in partnership with several stakeholders including the Public Health Department. 

The mayor is inviting companies to contribute money to help fund education campaigns to improve preparedness for ZIKV. 

The government has budgeted $200 million to prepare for the virus, which it says can reach Jamaica at anytime. 

Women have been warned to delay becoming pregnant for the next six to 12 months to avoid risks to their babies.