Over 100 cases of gastroenteritis have been confirmed in Dominica as officials continue to investigate the cause of the outbreak on the island.
Dr. Robertson Thomas said those who have been admitted as a result of the illness all have been under the age of five.
“We have had up to week two of January, up to 116 cases and seven admissions. What we see is that the young children are mostly being affected where the threat of dehydration and fluid imbalances are more likely. We have had other admissions because of dehydration which is the main problem,” he said.
Dr. Thomas said while it is serious in terms of numbers, life is not being threatened.
Health officials have already ruled out water as a source of the outbreak.
Judging from the age goup affected and the number of children in care facilities. I would say that sanitation in these facilities may be an issue and should be investigated. All it takes is one child with a bug to infect other children that they come in contact with through play, eating, or drinking.
Over 100 cases of infantile gastroenteritis should be a red flag signal to the health authorities. There are about 35 causes of Gastroenteritis (water contaminated causes included). It could be viral, bacterial, chemical, parasitic, toxin and drugs. The most common cause of infantile gastrointeritis is viral and the etiologic agent is a rotavirus. Viral spread from person to person occurs by fecal-oral transmission of contaminated food and water.The Department of Environmental Health officials have said that this outbreak is not water related. .. so to say it is not the water is a bit premature. They should have said rather that the authorities are still trying to determine the cause of the outbreak since viruses can also be transmitted through water.