Westmoreland Aedes index falls over three consecutive months

Mosquito breeding checks across Westmoreland have eased for three months running, according to figures presented by the parish health department.

Dr Marcia Graham, Medical Officer of Health for Westmoreland, told the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation’s latest monthly sitting that the Aedes index — the share of inspected homes and premises found with Aedes aegypti breeding — stood at 10.4 per cent in April, 9.6 per cent in May, and 8.4 per cent by the close of June.

She described the downward trend as welcome news but pressed householders not to let their guard down against dengue and other illnesses spread by mosquitoes.

"So, we are thankful but we do know that all it takes is for a shower of rain, new breeding sites to be created and complacency on the part of our fellow citizens for this trend to go back in the wrong direction," Dr Graham said.

Residents, she advised, should spend time each week on "search and destroy" sweeps at home, at work, and at places of worship so breeding spots can be cleared. She also recommended covering bare skin, especially in the early morning and evening, and relying on insect repellent, bed nets, and screened windows.

Vector-control crews, she noted, are still concentrating on communities judged high risk and on localities tied to suspected mosquito-borne illness reports.

Separately, Dr Graham said laboratory results had ruled out dengue and leptospirosis in four Westmoreland deaths this year that had first been thought possibly linked to either disease. She asked the public to keep backing the vector-control effort so the parish can stay clear of both dengue and leptospirosis.