CEPEP worker's death not confirmed as dengue

THE Ministry of Health (MOH) is not as yet confirming dengue as the cause of death of Kern Sargeant, a field officer with CEPEP who died on August 19.

An official of the MOH’s communication unit told Newsday that confirmation will come in the next two weeks after mandatory laboratory testing.

In the interim, the official said the number of laboratory-confirmed cases of dengue deaths remains at eight, with an increase in the number of lab-confirmed cases of dengue fever to 911.

This number of confirmed deaths does not include eight-year-old Nelisha Sophia Narine, also called Dolly, of Princes Town. Narine died on August 14 at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) after suffering from dengue fever for several days.

An autopsy on August 15 at the hospital said she died of presumptive dengue shock syndrome with gastrointestinal haemorrhage de novo diabetes mellitus.

The MOH, in a release, also confirmed that as of August 21, a total of 503 yellow fever notices had been issued to property owners/occupiers, directing them to clean up their surroundings.

Of this figure, 16 property owners/occupiers have been identified for the consideration and institution of legal proceedings for non-compliance.

Queries regarding the number of people tested at the Couva Children’s Hospital, now a dengue-screening centre, and claims of a shortage of dengue-testing kits were not answered.

Chairman of the Penal Debe Regional Corporation (PDRC) Gowtan Maharaj, in whose region Sargeant lived, said this death could have been prevented.

He said this is not the first death in his region. He pointed to the death of Robin Mahadeo of Rochard Douglas Road and another man who lived at Tulsa Trace on the boundary with Siparia.

“There are other suspicious dengue deaths, which I cannot confirm. At this time, I am awaiting the autopsy report of a man from Barrackpore who may have very well died from dengue.”

He believes the statistics from private hospitals are not integrated into the MOH’s figures from public institutions and questioned whether 911 was the real figure representing the number of people who tested positive for dengue fever.

If this is the case, he questioned whether the country was bordering on an outbreak.

Maharaj said in this dire season, the PDRC is without a chief public health officer and is using checkers, public health officers and others to put together a programme that is not quite effective.

Without a chief health officer to manage a sustainable, integrated management plan to combat dengue, he said it would be failing its burgesses.

“We need a principal medical health officer to run these health programmes."

He said he has asked the MOH for the position to be filled and has also requested funding, the lack of which is stymieing the vigorous work the corporation is doing to prevent the spread of dengue.

Maharaj said his region was vast and serves a population of approximately 100,000, stretching from La Romaine to parts of Moruga, Barrackpore, Siparia and Quinam. Some 50 per cent of the region sits in the Oropouche River Basin.

In addition, he said it services 800 traces in the region, which cannot be adequately serviced with the present manpower.

He said before the MOH announced a plan of action, the PDRC started spraying in its region, including Cypress Hill, Union Hall, San Fernando, where Sargeant lived.

Sargeant was a former social media officer for the People’s National Movement (PNM) San Fernando East Constituency.

“I have put forward a proposal for manpower to be able to do more in the areas of education, which is what the minister is proposing.

“We have submitted a proposal for special funding for that programme and also to remove bulk and white waste.

“We have received no funding to date but we are not sitting idly by. We are maximising our dyna-fogging machines, but we need money for more consumables.”

San Fernando mayor Robert Parris defended the city’s schedule of spraying, which was criticised by members of Sargeant’s family.

He said while Sargeant’s parents lived in his electoral district of Pleasantville, Sargeant lived in the PDRC region.

“The San Fernando City Corporation has been very successful in our spraying. We recently acquired a new, environmentally friendly ULV machine and kept the schedule.”

He said this new machine is also silent, and while people may have been listening for the spraying machine, it did its job very quietly.

Parris said there are also four foggers at the port, waiting to be cleared and as soon as that happens, a second round of spraying and fogging will begin in the city.