(Jamaica Gleaner) The Ministry of Health is indicating that the pile-up of garbage in sections of the island poses significant threat to health as it could lead to an outbreak of various illnesses.
Dr Kevin Harvey, director of the Health Promotion and Protection Unit in the Ministry of Health, listed leptospirosis, dengue and cholera as the likely diseases that could occur if the garbage is not contained.
“We are at risk if the garbage is not cleaned up. The garbage will increase the number of rats, and rats carry leptospirosis.
Not only that, the plastic pieces in the garbage cause water to settle and so dengue is another thing that can happen,” he cautioned.
“We are concerned about the pile-up. Even if we are not seeing the outbreaks yet, it is a huge threat and they need to do something about it,” he stressed.
Harvey said the health ministry is in dialogue with the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) to address the problem.
Members of the public have been complaining about the non-collection of garbage in some communities over the past weeks.
Last month, the NSWMA said that the non-collection of garbage in some areas was due to mechanical problems with some of its trucks.
