January 6, 2007 – Bridgetown, Barbados
As Jamaica continues to battle with an outbreak of malaria, one health consultant has warned the region that it is facing a more resistant strain of the disease. “The malaria vector, the female Anopheles mosquito, over the years has become resistant to some of our interventions, some of the insecticides that are used, and in addition to that the parasite itself has become and is becoming resistant to some of the treatment that we use as well,” said Dr. Nicholas Adomakoh, clinical consultant for infectious diseases with the Barbados Ministry of Health. “So eradicating the vector and certainly treating the parasite itself is becoming more difficult with time,” A total of 194 cases of malaria have been reported in Jamaica since December 1, last year. Dr. Adomakoh said the ease of travel coupled with other factors contributed to the re-emergence of the mosquito-borne illness in the region.