Jamaica records nine dengue deaths

Jamaica has recorded nine dengue-related deaths as of Wednesday, with seven of them classified as suspected and two as confirmed.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness said that there are 2,763 suspected, presumed, and confirmed cases. Of these, 694 are confirmed cases with dengue type two continuing to be the dominant strain. The ministry reported that all parishes continue to observe an increase in dengue cases in 2023 compared to 2022 with Kingston and St Andrew reporting the highest number of cases (695) for 2023. However, St Thomas maintains the highest case rate of 363.4 per 100,000 population, followed by Portland (211.2 per 100,000) and Trelawny (152.0 per 100,000).

Of the suspected, presumed, and confirmed cases, there were more males than females with the highest number of cases observed in the five-14-year-old cohort at a rate of 317.4 cases per 100,000 population.

In a press release, the ministry stressed that "Rest and adequate hydration are usually enough to see one through the period of illness" with the mosquito-borne disease.