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What Diseases Are In Jamaica?

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mosquitos_in_jamaica_cdc_govWhat Diseases Are In Jamaica? | Aedes Aegypti Mosquito (Photo: cdc.gov)

by Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer

Travelling to any country for the first time can be quite daunting at first, especially if you are an overthinker and will try to analyze every possible out of everything that could go wrong.

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If your destination is Jamaica, then maybe one of those questions you have been asking is What diseases are in Jamaica?

Well, rest assured that Jamaica is not overrun with communicable diseases. You won't land in Jamaica and instantly pick up an airborne disease.

That is extremely unlikely to happen. The majority of diseases in Jamaica are non-communicable, that is they are diseases that do not spread from one person to the other and are usually due to genetics or lifestyle issues. The top four non-communicable diseases in Jamaica are:

  1. Diabetes
  2. Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease
  3. Cancer
  4. Cardiovascular Disease

However, like most places in the world you will find mosquitos in Jamaica. As a tourist, you are most likely to pick up a mosquito-borne disease over any other illness, especially if you will be taking part in many tours and excursions to places with a mixture of overgrown bushes and moisture.

So here are four mosquito-borne diseases that have been found in Jamaica and their signs, symptoms and treatments.

  1. Zika Virus- is a member of the Flaviviridae virus family. Aedes mosquitoes that are active during the day, like A. aegypti and A. albopictus, spread it. The Ziika Forest in Uganda, where the virus was first discovered in 1947, gave the disease its name. Similar to a very mild case of dengue fever, the infection, also known as Zika fever or Zika virus disease, frequently has no or only minor symptoms.

    Symptoms include a maculopapular rash, a fever, red eyes, joint pain, and a headache which generally lasts for about 7 days.

    Some babies are born with microcephaly and other brain malformations due to infection during pregnancy. Zika virus infection of human Schwann cells has been connected to Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in adults.

    There are currently no vaccines for the zika virus, but paracetamol can be used to alleviate symptoms over the counter.

  2. Dengue- People can contract dengue viruses by being bitten by an infected Aedes mosquito. One of the four closely related dengue viruses 1, 2, 3, and 4 causes the disease. Because of this, a person may contract the dengue virus up to four times in a lifetime. Avoiding mosquito bites is the best way to protect yourself from dengue.

    Fever is the most typical sign of dengue, along with nausea, vomiting, rash, aches, and pains typically behind the eyes, muscle, joint, or bone pain. This usually lasts between 2 to 7 days.

    Dengue can also be severe and symptoms such as Belly pain, tenderness, Vomiting (at least 3 times in 24 hours), Bleeding from the nose or gums, Vomiting blood, or blood in the stool, Feeling tired, restless, or irritable will usually occur within 2 days after the initial fever has subsided.

    For mild symptoms, paracetamol and rest are effective, but a visit to the emergency room is needed for severe symptoms.

  3. Malaria- Malaria is spread by the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. Only Anopheles mosquitoes, which must have previously consumed blood from an infected person, can spread malaria.

    A tiny amount of blood containing microscopic malaria parasites is ingested when a mosquito bites an infected person. These parasites combine with the mosquito's saliva and are injected into the person being bitten about a week later when the mosquito takes its next blood meal.

    Malaria can also be spread by blood transfusion, organ transplant, sharing needles or syringes that have been contaminated with blood, and other methods because the malaria parasite is present in the red blood cells of an infected person. A pregnant woman can also pass malaria to her unborn child.

    Malaria symptoms include fever and a flu-like illness with chills, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue. There may also be nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Due to the loss of red blood cells, malaria may result in anaemia and jaundice (yellow skin and eyes).

    Infections can become severe and lead to kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, comas, and even death if they are not promptly treated.

    The majority of people experience symptoms 10 days to 4 weeks after infection, though symptoms can appear as early as 7 days after infection or as late as 1 year later.

    Prescription medications can treat malaria. The type of malaria, the location of the infection, the patient's age, whether she is pregnant, and the severity of her illness at the beginning of treatment all affect the type of drugs used and the length of the course of treatment.

  4. Chikungunya- Mosquitoes serve as a vector for the human chikungunya virus. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are most frequently involved in the transmission cycle.

    A sudden onset of fever, frequently accompanied by joint pain, is a defining feature of chikungunya. The joint pain, which typically lasts for a few days but can last for weeks, months, or even years, is frequently excruciating.

    The virus can therefore lead to acute, subacute, or chronic disease. Muscle pain, joint swelling, headaches, nausea, fatigue, and rashes are additional typical symptoms.

    Chikungunya does not have specific antiviral drug treatment. It is advised to take acetaminophen or paracetamol for fever reduction and pain relief.

There is currently no outbreak of any of these mosquito-borne diseases in Jamaica but, prevention methods such as using mosquito repellants are still recommended. So besides a few sand fly bites, there isn’t much for you to worry about on your trip to Jamaica.

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References & Sources For What Diseases Are In Jamaica?

  1. Jennings, A. (2020) 6 things you need to know to stay healthy in Jamaica, World Nomads. World Nomads. Available at: https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/caribbean/jamaica/travel-health-jamaica#insect (Accessed: October 13, 2022).
  2. Symptoms and treatment (2021) Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/symptoms/index.html (Accessed: October 13, 2022).
  3. Zika virus (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zika_virus (Accessed: October 13, 2022).

What Diseases Are In Jamaica | Written: October 13, 2022

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