Health officials begin preparation for yellow fever following Africa outbreak

Yellow fever is transmitted by the Aedes Egypti mosquito
Yellow fever is transmitted by the Aedes Egypti mosquito

As Dominica recovers from the effects of the notorious zika virus, Acting Chief Environmental Health Officer, Ferdinia Carbon has said that the dangers posed by another mosquito-borne disease may be looming.

There has been an outbreak of yellow fever in Africa and in an interview with state-owned DBS Radio, on Thursday, Carbon stated that the matter is of “major concern” and the Ministry of Health is preparing in case the disease comes to our shores.

“Presently, we are having an outbreak of yellow fever in Africa, and as we know, that’s where zika started, and chikungunya,” she noted. “We are also preparing for if this yellow fever should come to our area.”

In July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that the Ministry of Health in Angola reported at least 3,552 suspected and confirmed cases nationally, including 355 deaths. The CDC released a Level 2 Alert on the situation, warning people to ‘Practice Enhanced Precautions’.

Carbon described the disease as a “major concern” to health officials, due to the ten percent (10%) fatality rate associated with the disease. However, contraction of yellow fever is preventable through vaccination.

She revealed that officials in the Ministry of Health are working closely with the authorities to ensure that visitors are screened before entering the country, to ensure citizens’ safety.

“We, in the ministry of Health have already started preparing to ensure that we are able to respond to yellow fever if it should get to our shores,” she assured. “We have started working with the immigration and customs persons to try to ensure that persons coming from where we have yellow fever, they can show us their vaccination cards and so.”

Carbon guaranteed that the Ministry will soon provide the public with more information on the disease.

Yellow fever is an acute viral disease, spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.

Common symptoms of the disease include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains, and headaches. In most cases, symptoms improve within five days. Yet, in some instances, after apparent recovery, patients may experience fever, abdominal pain, and yellow skin.

Earlier this month, the Environmental Health Department embarked on a rain barrel mosquito proofing project to reduce the spread of mosquito-borne diseases on the island. The project is funded by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

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15 Comments

  1. August 15, 2016

    Let us call on the Ministry of Health to make their free collection of broken white goods a monthly service. It just takes a dedicated truck and team and they can do a different area each day. The community is informed and puts out their rubbish. The clean up day we had earlier this year made a huge difference and removed mosquito breeding grounds from many places close to human habitation.

  2. Concerned 1
    August 14, 2016

    What happens after the immigration officers or customs officer ID someone positive. Here it is there is a new emergence of this deadly disease on an already struggling economy and a couple weeks ago the pharmacist at the marigot hospital was heard saying that she took some medical supplies your staff because she doesn’t see tbe need for it and also she will not honor any request to provide any medical supply to your staff at the airport. I am wondering if that’s an effort to expose we the marigot people to an outbreak of diseases from that point of entry. I told the nurse at the marigot hospital what she said. We don’t have our national hospital and hearing such statement from that lady Ferriera is mind-boggling. Ms Carbon please deal with this issues and make sure we are equipped. Cause I am in the process of doing my investigations and intend to go further.

  3. Concerned 1
    August 14, 2016

    Miss Carbon has not told if we are equipped with all the necessities to handle such disease at our ports of entry. Will you have a trained personnel to deal with that issue after the immigration and customs officers who are trained in law enforcement

  4. The Believer
    August 14, 2016

    We agree babies are survivors because they are not to mischief. black people were born strong and survive over hundred years without any medical treatment. First doctor due to observation. It started going wrong from Africa when they begin to sell strong men as slaves. now we are back to Africa again. Living proof that deceases are passed on from one human to another, because of their habits and behavior, the animals were put on the world with us to serve a purpose, now suddenly they begin to attack us. Again we trying to avoid the people taking them in and not the insects itself.

  5. Auntie Buitre
    August 13, 2016

    The fact is that mosquitoes breed, but in the bush. Remember, Portsmouth was always, until the fifties, been a foci of yellow fever. As Dr. Honeychurch wrote,

    The [Prince Rupert] Bay is in fact formed by ridges running from these two mountains and by the alluvial deposits, the mud and rocks, washed down from the slopes. The flat land on which the town of Portsmouth stands is so low that in some places it is below sea level. This caused the formation of many swamps which were the greatest drawback to the settlement and development of the place. Malaria and Yellow Fever carried by the swamp mosquitoes made the area a notorious graveyard for European soldiers and colonists.

    Y.F. is not CIA labs, or some insidious population control, its negligence in getting ourselves and our kids vaccinated. Vaccination to be handled by the Health Service NOW and EVERYONE needs to be vaccinated so that we don’t have it permanently lurking in the bush again.

  6. derp
    August 12, 2016

    yellow fever has a vaccine you know to prevent it from affecting you…

  7. Gregs
    August 12, 2016

    Always starts in some black country eh

  8. out of south city
    August 12, 2016

    When will these Europeans stop releasing their lab-made mosquitoes in Africa making people think that all diseases and viruses originate in Africa? That is just a way of population control of which many are not aware.It is also another way for us, an African race, to keep shunning and speaking negatively about Africa. We need to be aware of what is really going on.

    • August 13, 2016

      Sub-Saharan Africa is amazingly biodiverse, and unlike more temperate locations it hasn’t been entirely despoiled by reckless development. This is simply geography, climate, and ecology, it’s not an evil racist conspiracy.

  9. population control again
    August 12, 2016

    weh papa…that Aedes aegypti mosquito have maleh we boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  10. zandoli
    August 12, 2016

    Well, get om with a major vaccination program to get ahead of this disease.

  11. Major56
    August 12, 2016

    That’s like the 10 plagues of Egypt, man?

    One after the other so? 8-O 8-O

    • smh
      August 12, 2016

      Ikr!!

    • population control again
      August 12, 2016

      weh papa…that Aedes aegypti mosquito have maleh we boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!population control again

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