Health officials reported on Saturday that the island had breached the dengue epidemic threshold for the months of July and August and is expected to do so again in September.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, this indicates that more instances have been reported in the nation than what is typically seen during these months of the year.
However, the ministry reported that six deaths are being looked into even though there are currently no categorized dengue-related deaths.
The ministry reported that as of Friday, September 23, Jamaica had documented 565 suspected, assumed, and confirmed instances of dengue, with 78 cases being confirmed. Dengue is a mosquito-borne illness.
It said the majority of the cases were in Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine and St Thomas.
The ministry said the dominant strain has been Dengue Type Two, which is one of the deadliest and has not been predominant in Jamaica since 2010. The strain, in addition to fever, can cause two or more other symptoms of typical dengue infection and can be fatal.
Dengue symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, nausea, and rash. In a small number of cases, the potentially deadly dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) may develop, resulting in internal bleeding, enlargement of the liver, and high fever.
Jamaica last had a dengue outbreak in 2019.