Health authorities in Dominica have confirmed that there are 11 cases of Dengue Fever in Dominica and there are fears the numbers might increase.
Chief environment officer, Anthony Scotland, told Dominica News Online that most of the cases are centered in Roseau and its environs.
“Most of the cases are in the Roseau Health District,” he said. “We have in New Town, Bath Estate, Goodwill, Loubriere, Massacre, Canefield ..those are the communities around Roseau…”
He further stated that there are cases in Riviere Cyrique in the La Plaine Health District and Castle Bruce.
Scotland pointed out that a further update might be available by the end of Tuesday and the numbers might change.
He said the authorities have initiated a drive to eradicate the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the main carrier of the virus which causes Dengue.
“From last week we have had operations of fogging going on in the areas in the Roseau suburbs,” he said. “We will be stretching out to the other districts like Marigot and Castle Bruce.”
He said officials are concerned because Dengue poses a serious health issue. “At this time we see an increase in mosquitoes,” Scotland stated. “Anytime the rainy season comes …whenever there is an increase of rain, you will see and increase of mosquitoes and the possibilities of infection increase.”
Dengue fever poses major health problems to those infected by the virus.
The symptoms include high fever, intense headaches, severe joint and muscle pain, vomiting and a rash.
Sometimes some persons can present with the severe form of the disease known as Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever, in which there can be bleeding, under your skin, from your nose, gums, gut and damage to the liver.
The bleeding can be massive causing Dengue Shock Syndrome, which can cause death.
D N O the truth is the ruth please put up my comment i have called no ones name
i am sorry and would like to with draw this comment.
oil emultion is among the best if not the best measure of controle for destroying the breeding places of mosquitoes, old engienne oil, old cooking oil desel, kerosine; they are all good for destroying mosquitoes, no big fancy expensive insecticide, where to look for them, in pit toilets, tyers, drums, septic tanks, swamps anything that hold water, look out for them and destroy them
I suppose the environmental health officers have a responsibility to visit surroundings and make reccommendations and when not acted upon proceed with those concerned, but i am from the kalinago territory in the nothern health zone and it is more than a year i have not seen an environmental health officer even after calling the main office in Roseau, i just do not know the officer whether is male or female i just do not know that person. That is what you calling just getting a salary for doing nothing.
At least every quarter there should be massive clean up campaigns organised by the Councils in collaboration with Local Government and Community Development Department and the Environmental Health Officers but get out of their offices and go around their districts, visit the homes and identify the breeding grounds. When I was a child the environmental health officers were called inspectors and they did a fantastic job. There must be a lot of collaboration, too many people trying to protect turf and not working. It’s the same Dominica we need to work together and clean up the place. Too much lip service
them national pest people only fogging areas where the big boys in roseau and environs live iam not just saying that i got it straight from inside sources but we in portsmouth with the grace of we will survive
It was a very iilladvised diecision for government to outsource Vector control. private companies are more concerned about their bottom line than providing service. for the ten year period between 1995 and 2005 when vector control was undertaken by Environmental Health there were 333 reported cases of Dengue. From 2006 to 2012 since the porgram has been outsourced there have been 916 reported cases. If I am to add the 11 cases confirmed for 2013 then the figure would be 927. The number of cases have increased almost 300%. Doesn’t that say something. It means the private company has not done better with mosquito control as the Department of Environmental Health was doing. My question is, “how is public funds and public equipment being used”. The functions should be returned to the department of Environmental Health and a Vector Control Coordinator recruited to oversee the activities.
Information on Dengue Statistics can be found at the links below:
http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_pronpro&Itemid=298&lang=en
http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=264&Itemid=363
if portsmouth people dont get dengue ,mosquitoes doesnt carry dengue.possie have the most mosquitoes and they didnt mention possie.that good news for us.that mean the mosquitoes thats in possie doesnt live there .they just pass at nights
Why do we have to wait for an outbreak to fogg. Prevention is better than cure.
Does that include people who visited Dominica recently and returned home only to find out they contracted dengue in Dominica? I know of one such case.
I got it when I lived in Bath Estates. Not a great experience but hopefully I have some type of immunity to at least one strain now.
Why don’t they get some mosquito fish for distribution rather than spraying toxic insecticides?