There is now a total of 13 confirmed cases of of the mosquito-borne disease, Chikungunya, in Dominica.
Senior Environmental Health Officer, Sylvester St. Ville made the announcement on state-owned DBS Radio on Friday and said the matter is disturbing.
“It’s a major concern for the health care system but it’s something that we are trying to manage,” he said. “As of our latest report, there are 13 confirmed cases.”
He said the cases are mainly in the Woodfordhill and Bath Estate areas. “They are confined to those two communities,” he remarked.
St. Ville pointed out that the Environmental Health department is currently undertaking preventative measures to reduce the spread the disease.
“Presently we are in Bath Estate doing some source reduction and vector control activities …this evening (Friday) we will be doing some fogging operations to reduce the population of adults in these communities,” he pointed out.
He said the department will also be removing discarded white goods in the Bath Estate area since they provide breeding areas for mosquitos. Stoves, fridges, washing machines and other household appliances are generally referred to as ‘White Goods.’
St. Ville is calling on residents to play their part by covering water sources, emptying water containers, among other things, in efforts to control the breeding of mosquitos.
Chikungunya is a viral disease, carried mainly by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and causes a dengue-like sickness.
Symptoms include a sudden high fever, severe pain in the wrists, ankles or knuckles, muscle pain, headache, nausea and rash. Joint pain and stiffness are more common with Chikungunya than with dengue. Persons who have these symptoms are advised to report to the nearest health centre or their personal health care provider
The type of mosquito that transmits Chikungunya is also known to transmit dengue fever.
Thirteenn cases of a new disease into the country is indeed disturbing. But more distrubing is that the same vector that causes Dengue causes Chikungunka Fever and knowing that almost every year we have an outbreak of dengue, it is no surprise and no relief that we are having an outbreak of that disease.
The mosquito house index has always had a direct relationship with the number of Dengue cases and it is very high by WHO standards. Unless we reduce the house index to below 5% (which in itself is still high but more realistic than the 1%)we will continue to have outbreaks of Dengue and the likes of Chikungunka Fever.
We should thank God( and some may say our luvky stars) it is not the more deadly Malaria Fever also transmitted by mosquitoes(to be more specific the Anopheles mosquito which we also have here and receives even less attention).
It is good to know that the authorities are tackling the high risk areas where the majority of cases occur, but since most of the island is high risk due to the high house indices, the efforts should spread island-wide and should also continue throughout the year and not only at this time when we have a crisis or outbreak situation.
In Jesus’s name, Lord i come before you. On behalf of my country and my fellow citizens, I ask for grace upon us all. Father in Heaven, though we are not the holiest of nation, but as a Christian born again believe, who is part of the salt that holds this country together, I ask for mercy. In the name of your son Jesus Christ, I command this disease to be gone and be defeated. I believe that you are the healer and deliver, and I trust in you. May our name Dominica break victorious record in combating this sickness!! In Jesus’s name amen!
DOMINICAN’S take your part and protect your friends families in DOMINICA. try to help, close all your drum water throw away your tires of water help your children so that they could not get chikungunya PLEASE HELP
wow
STAGNANT WATER BREEDS MOSQUITOES. The FIRST STEP in reducing mosquito buildup and to PROTECT the people is to CLEAN UP THE ENVIRONMENT.
Dominicans clean your environment.
Long time ago the ministry of health had health workers going around in villages making diseases carried by mosquitos were kept under control because of our rainfall and all the breeding areas that are in this tropical island.
Bring back these jobs.
It is as if We were cursed ! Citrus greening,Black Sikatoka,Chickungunya,what about the ones we dont even know we have ? We have malhuer .It is time for a change!