The surge in breakbone fever

IT’S A disease that lives up to the street name. High fever, intense headaches, muscle and joint pains, vomiting – the deluxe package of suffering.

Dengue also tricks you into thinking the worst is over by dialling down the fever. It then wallops you with abominable abdominal pains, Olympic-level vomiting, difficulty breathing, bleeding gums and nose, bloody stools and weakness.

If you survive those symptoms this mosquito-borne virus can leave you fatigued for weeks afterwards.

In rare cases dengue kills, and it did quite recently. Trinidad and Tobago recorded its first dengue fatality in five years last month. A young woman from south Trinidad died after having contracted the disease.

Dengue is on the upswing, not just here but worldwide. This is one of those rare cases where Trini apologists who liberally apply the excuse, “It happenin’ all over the worl',” to justify government failures might be right – but only marginally so. Changing climatic conditions are driving a global explosion in dengue cases, with more than ten million people succumbing to this pernicious disease this year alone.

Higher temperatures and increased rainfall have expanded the life cycles of the mosquitoes that carry dengue. These shifts have also expanded their ranges, making these vectors like the Amazon of disease, spreading the sickness further and faster around the world. Goldilocks climate changes are making it possible for dengue carriers to make forays into temperate countries like the US and others in Europe.

There’s no treatment for dengue other than pain medication and prayer; although many Trinis swear by the pawpaw-leaf remedy. The mosquitoes that carry the virus fall within the Aedes genus, more commonly the Tiger mosquito. This tiny emissary of evil is usually easy to identify because of its white-striped legs.

There is no single effective tactic against the spread of this disease. Ideally, there should be a multifaceted approach to eradication, with a heavy emphasis on targeting breeding zones. For example, fogging, which is a widely used method of control, is severely limited in its impact. The spraying only kills adult mosquitoes; it doesn’t destroy the eggs.

Moreover, fogging has been shown to engineer resistance to the chemicals in mosquitoes over time. What doesn’t kill them makes them stronger. Additionally, widespread fumigation can harm other desirable insects like bees and butterflies.

Bushy, overgrown areas are particularly useful to mosquitoes. While they don’t breed in bushes, overgrowth provides shelter from the wind. Tall grasses and other shrubbery are also often close to breeding grounds and are the perfect launch point for their attacks.

On a positive note, now that the Government is collecting property tax with renewed vigour, overgrown vacant lots that are a nuisance and a haven for pestilence of all sorts will become a thing of the past – regional corporations will begin clearing abandoned lots by the end of the year. Drains filled with stagnant water will also become a distant memory.

Given the rising threat, a more aggressive and consistent public education campaign should already be under way. Social media platforms should be noisy with videos and infographics constantly reminding people of the dangers and prevention measures.

I haven’t seen any of that.

Trinis tend to say, “Well, if you ain’t know by now you can’t have containers around your house, den is yuh own fault.” That’s as stupid as saying we don’t need schools any more because we have the internet. Public education isn’t a one-shot thing. It must be done consistently over time to take root in the public consciousness.

Effective public education also reaches people where they are and in a language they understand. It's not newspaper ads or TV spots or community mic men or campaigns on social media – it’s all of the above.

This is an illness that’s often treated too lightly; like it’s just a type of ague. No. Dengue comes in a variety of flavours, some more lethal than others. It’s also possible to be infected several times.

Worse still, the disease leaves a trail of destruction in the body that can endure for months after the initial infection. Hair loss, persistent fatigue and depression are just some of the after-effects that diminish your quality of life.

The good news is the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries dengue can only fly a few hundred feet (600 feet by best estimates). If we can put enough distance between ourselves and where they hatch, we can reduce our chances of infection.

All that’s required is a co-ordinated approach between the Government and our communities to keep breakbone fever at bay.