Deyalsingh: Dengue not public health emergency

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh has said the current dengue outbreak will not be declared a public health emergency, as it does not meet the international criteria for such an event.

He was speaking at a media conference on July 19.

CMO Dr Roshan Parasram said the four criteria were: Is the public health impact of the event serious? Is the event unusual or unexpected? Is there a significant risk of international spread? Is there a significant risk for international travel or trade restrictions?

He said the uptick in dengue cases happens every five-seven years, so it was not unexpected, and there tends to be an upsurge at the beginning of the rainy season. He said the disease is endemic in over 100 countries, so there was no threat of international spread.

At present, he said, the health system was not overwhelmed, as 15-19 per cent of those coming to the San Fernando General Hospital, the Point Fortin Enhanced Facility and surrounding health care centres were presenting with viral illnesses, while the remaining 81-85 per cent were chronic diseases.

He said for this reason, dengue did not tick any of the boxes for being declared a public health emergency.

Deyalsingh said as of July 19, there had been 392 laboratory-confirmed cases and three deaths. The areas most affected were Counties Victoria, St Patrick, and Caroni.

He said the Health Ministry, county medical officers of health (CMOH), and insect and vector control division (IVCD) were doing their best to control the outbreak, with resources being concentrated in the area

IVCD medical officer of health Dr Osafo Fraser said a meeting was convened with the regional corporations, CMOH and IVCD on July 19 to continue co-ordinating the response to the outbreak.

Deyalsingh said spraying was taking place in targeted areas based on the prevalence of mosquito infestations. He called on the public to ensure there were no breeding places on their properties, including containers and plant pots, especially bromeliads.

Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi said the regional corporations and the ministry were doing as much as they could to assist with controlling the mosquito population, including cutting grass and clearing drains. But, he said, while the corporations were cutting as much grass as they could, the rapid growth in the rainy season meant they could not keep up everywhere. He asked communities to help each other as much as possible.

Al-Rawi added that people insisted on littering and this also contributed to the outbreak.

Deyalsingh said 71 notices had been issued to people whose premises were seen to be breeding grounds. Follow-ups would be done to see if they had cleared them up, and if not, they would be fined. The fines were recently increased to $3,500.