Dengue outbreak in St. Lucia

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The island has been hit by a major dengue outbreak with some 13 reported cases since last month, health authorities here have said.

Last month the nation was placed on an alert for an outbreak of the mosquito borne illness, which has already resulted in deaths in neighbouring Martinique.

Authorities said while there have so far been no deaths, the number of cases so far reported, is one short of the total number reported last year.

Government’s Chief Medical Officer Josiah Rambally told CMC on the weekend that most of the cases were recorded in the capital Castries, and everything possible is being done to ensure that no deaths result.

"We have a team of health and environmental officers visiting communities around the island, in an effort to control the spread of the illness," he said.

"They will be checking to see if any one has fever and the environment around homes, ensuring that possible sources of mosquito breeding are eliminated".

Rambally said that fogging teams have also been operating in areas prone to mosquito infection to eliminate the adult mosquitoes, and applying insecticide that will kill the mosquito lava and pupa.

"We are appealing to the public to assist in this by doing what they can to reduce the number of breeding places for mosquitoes, such as old tires, coconut shells, and any items where water can stagnate, facilitating the breeding of mosquitoes," he said.

Dr. Rambally said the outbreak of dengue has become a source of concern with the number of cases of death reported around the region.

"Whenever there is an outbreak anywhere, especially places where we travel to, it’s easy for people to come back and cause an outbreak in their country of origin, so we need to increase our vigilance," he said.

He said that every year the island needed to go on the alert for dengue, but more so in this period given the fact that Martinique has reported an outbreak of the dengue virus type four.

"We are not saying that St. Lucians should cease all travel to Martinique but those going there need to be aware of the clear and present danger of being infected," he said.
St. Lucia has recorded two major outbreaks of dengue fever with the most recent being in 2002.

The Ministry of Health has been advising persons against the indiscriminate disposal of garbage in drains and ravines as this can result in breeding sites for mosquitoes.

It has also urged persons experiencing high fevers associated with headaches and joint pains to seek immediate medical attention.

"We have a surveillance system in place so that anyone with these symptoms need to seek immediate medical attention and we would want that report to get to the Ministry so we can implement our control measures," Dr. Rambally said.
CMC