Westmoreland tightens hantavirus watch at borders as Caribbean health alerts grow

Public health teams in Westmoreland have stepped up monitoring as Caribbean neighbours raise alarms over hantavirus, even though Jamaica has recorded no confirmed infections, the parish’s lead health officer has confirmed.

Dr. Marcia Graham, Medical Officer of Health for Westmoreland, told councillors that checks at points of arrival have been expanded as a safeguard against possible importation through overseas travel. She outlined the position at a sitting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation in Savanna-la-Mar on Thursday, 14 May.

Graham said anyone flagged as a possible contact would be tracked through the illness’s incubation window, which may last from one to eight weeks. Where infection is suspected, patients could be kept apart for as long as six weeks as a precaution; she added that no one in the parish is presently under that kind of watch.

Hantavirus remains uncommon but can be severe. People usually catch it through exposure to infected rodents or their waste. Health leaders across the wider region have kept a closer eye on the illness as international agencies track global patterns.

The officer asked residents not to pass on unverified claims online, pointing to bogus public-health circulars on social media that misuse Ministry of Health and Wellness logos. She directed the public to official channels such as the ministry, the World Health Organization, and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Beyond virus tracking, Graham repeated appeals for communities to cut mosquito breeding sites and keep rodent numbers down. She also highlighted a worrying climb in accidental poisonings involving children in Westmoreland and pressed parents and guardians to lock away cleaning products and other dangerous items.

“We’re still seeing too many children admitted to the hospital with accidental poisoning,” she said.