Health Ministry records 2 more dengue deaths

THE country continues to grapple with a spike in dengue fever cases and on August 9, the Health Ministry confirmed two more deaths, bringing the figure to eight.

The ministry’s latest update said there were 712 laboratory-confirmed cases, an increase of 46 compared to the previous day’s update of 666.

Yet again, the ministry reminded the public that the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito may spread dengue.

To combat this this disease, the ministry and the 14 municipal corporations have been urging people to do their part to stop the breeding cycle of mosquitoes.

These include cutting down and removing all bush or undergrowth that can harbour mosquitoes as well as disposing of all unwanted articles, derelict vehicles or appliances in the yard or environs.

On August 7, the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government announced its campaign to clean up vacant lots across the country to help stop the spread of the dengue virus.

The ongoing Cut and Clear initiative will see CEPEP workers carrying out clean-up exercises at two regional corporations weekly.

The programme started with the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation (PDRC) and the San Fernando City Corporation from August 5 to 9.

The next targeted corporations are the Diego Martin and Chaguanas Borough Corporations from August 12 to 16.

On August 9, PDRC chairman Gowtam Maharaj told Newsday that the corporation was doing its best to prevent the spread of the virus.

He said the corporation submitted a list of hundreds of lots to cut and clean. He did not yet have a figure to confirm how many were done, but he presumed that all were not done.

The corporation continues its dyna fogging schedule; workers have sprayed 12,000 households so far.

Maharaj added, “We do not have one hymnbook, per se, that we are reading from in this dengue management, which is supposed to come from the Health Ministry. We do not have a handbook from the ministry saying the chemical treatment we are using should not be used or should be upgraded.”

The chairman charged that mosquito control has to be in cycles, and dynafogging is an adult knock-down mechanism. This means that while the adult mosquitos are killed, the eggs remain, allowing hatching to still take place.

He believes the dengue figures are higher than what the ministry has been reporting.

Maharaj added, “If you have the right data, you will be able to have the right treatment plan. We have not been furnished with a treatment plan, an integrated insect vector management plan, as yet.”

“We did a survey in a particular community, and the numbers we got are in conflict with what is being shared. In what is being recorded as official, figures from private practitioners are not factored in.”

The corporation also continues with its clean-up operations.

“The ministry is saying we have to clean up and that definitely should be done. Because of the severity of the situation, the central government should put more resources into this particular region and work with the corporation in a real way, not in a PR-oriented way.”

Raymond Cozier, the chairman of the Mayaro/ Rio Claro Regional Corporation, told Newsday that he had no information on the Cut and Clear programme.

“No one has officially contacted us on that. No official communication was made to us. Last week, I sent a letter to an official from CEPEP asking about it. To date, I have had no response,” Cozier said.

Cozier added that the corporation workers continued to do site visits in the region to mensure that burgesses did not have breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

“We tell people to get rid of anything that can cause mosquitoes to breed. We are also engaged in bulk waste removal. We are liaising with the Insect Vector Division.”

Another statement from the Health Ministry on August 9 clarified the process for reporting confirmed cases and deaths related to dengue fever.

It said when someone is admitted to the hospital with suspected dengue fever, a blood sample is collected for testing to confirm the presence of the virus.

In cases where a patient with suspected fever dies, a sample is also taken for confirmation.

All samples, whether from suspected cases or deaths, are sent to the Trinidad Public Health Laboratory (TPHL), which then takes them to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) laboratory for analysis.

The statement added, “The testing process can have a turnaround time of up to two weeks. Therefore, the ministry can only confirm dengue cases and deaths once a positive laboratory result is received from CARPHA.”

Warning signs and symptoms

The ministry urged the public to seek medical attention promptly if they display any warning signs of dengue fever.

These include a drop in body temperature, intense and continuous abdominal pain, bleeding from gums or nose, blood in vomit, urine or stool, persistent vomiting and dizziness.

Symptoms appear within five-six days of being bitten and last for one-two weeks.

The symptoms include fever, diarrhoea, nausea/ vomiting, muscle and joint pains, pain behind the eyes, skin rash and headaches (sometimes severe).