Nadisha Hunter, Staff Reporter

Heavy showers over recent days have impacted the efforts of the Ministry of Health in its mosquito eradication campaign.

Director of Health Promotion and Protection Dr Kevin Harvey told The Gleaner yesterday, however, that the programme has been resumed since the rains stopped.

The ministry has heightened its surveillance of dengue fever and has been carrying out increased mosquito control activities, including community-based education and promotion, fogging and source reduction, treatment and destruction of breeding sites.

To date, there have been three reported cases of death of which only one case has been confirmed.

"It is going well, but the rain hampered it a little because we can't do the fogging in the rain," said Harvey. "The rain can put things in two directions, it would have washed out a lot of the breeding sites but at the same time it will refill any empty containers that are there so we need to ensure that the public continues this campaign to remove potential breeding sites."

The country has recorded an increase in the number of cases of dengue fever since the start of the year, with the ministry reporting 974 suspected cases as at September 22, compared with 887 for all of 2011 and 3,202 in 2010 when there was an outbreak.

Kingston and St Andrew have recorded the most cases so far with 480, followed by Manchester with 101, Clarendon with 78, St Ann with 63 and St Catherine with 50. The least affected parish is St Thomas, which has reported four cases.

nadisha.hunter@gleanerjm.com