The opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Caretaker for Eastern St. Thomas, Delano Seiveright, is claiming that there is a major outbreak of Chikungunya, in the constituency.
He is calling for the Ministry of Health to stop understating the impact and immediately lead a multi-stakeholder drive to limit the spread of the mosquito-borne virus.
Seiveright said following walks and complaints in Nuts River, Morant Bay, Lyssons, Airy Castle, Port Morant, Duckenfield, Hampton Court and Bath, hundreds are being affected by the symptoms of chikungunya.
He says the majority of persons who go to the doctor are not tested, thereby keeping the latest confirmed Ministry count artificially low.
Seiveright says doctors simply inform the affected persons that they appear to have Chikungunya and direct them to take over the counter medication and get rest.
St. Thomas is one of the parishes that have recorded confirmed cases of the virus.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr. Fenton Ferguson says the situation in St. Thomas is not an outbreak.
He said all reports are only suspected cases all of which must go through rigorous tests before confirmation is given.
“There are two labs we use for confirmation one is the virology lab at the University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Public Health Agency lab in Trinidad as the final….. we don’t even use the virology lab at the University as a final confirmation of Chik V. So it is not a normal lab test that confirms it,” the Health Minister said.