The Parliamentary Opposition has noted the official declaration of an outbreak of dengue fever and is calling on Jamaicans to listen to and comply with all bulletins issued by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

In a statement on Saturday afternoon (September 23), Opposition spokesperson on health and wellness, Dr Morais Guy, also appealed to citizens to immediately begin cleaning and clearing their yards and communities of debris, in particular old cans and tyres which collect water and become prime breeding containers for the aedes aegypti mosquito, the carrier of the dengue fever virus.

“It is regrettable that the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NWSMA) did not use the drought period to increase public cleansing activities. Neither did the authorities do drain cleaning and river training in a consistent manner,” Dr Guy said.

The shadow minister conceded that with the increased rainfall in recent weeks, conditions are conducive to mosquito breeding across the island.

Notwithstanding the uphill battle to be fought, Guy is calling on the government to fast track the implementation of a national response through mosquito spraying and other vector control measures to mitigate the situation as quickly as possible.

The Central St Mary Member of Parliament explained that it was critical for citizens to pay close attention to messages, bulletins and updates from the Ministry of Health, its departments and agencies.

Guy welcomed the decision of the ministry to extend the opening hours of clinics to 8:00 pm to respond to potential influx of cases effective October 2, but recommended that due to the official declaration, extended hours be effective this coming Monday, September 25.

He said this would ensure that the outbreak does not become unmanageable.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness declared a dengue fever outbreak in a media release just after midday, Saturday.

Up to Friday, some 565 “suspected, presumed and confirmed” cases of the disease have been recorded nationally, of which 78 are categorised as active.

According to the National Surveillance Unit, infections are predominantly in the parishes of Kingston, St Andrew, St Catherine and St Thomas. The ministry is probing six deaths, while maintaining that the island is yet to officially register any dengue-related casualties.

The Type 2 strain of the mosquito-borne disease is currently being transmitted by the vector island wide, which the ministry disclosed is similar to the 2010 outbreak.

• READ MORE: Health Ministry declares dengue outbreak in Jamaica