Chief Medical Officer, David Johnson, has revealed that the number of confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne disease, Chikingunya. on the island as of 13th February, 2014 has increased to 31.
Johnson said that number is expected to rise however it is the hope of the Ministry of Health that the various strategies to respond to the disease will mitigate any further spread.
“We have seen persons identified with the signs and symptoms of the disease from the Castle Bruce, Grandbay, Laplaine, Marigot, Roseau, Portsmouth and St Joseph health districts. Those persons are managed at home and it is very unlikely that we will see a significant number of persons seeking attention or being hospitalized from Chikungunya,” he said.
Infected persons are being told to sleep under mosquito nets and use mosquito repellants.
“The numbers keep changing on a daily basis … we have a number of suspected cases and we have a number of confirmed cases,” Johnson noted. “As of yesterday the last count that we have in terms of confirmed cases was 31 cases and we have other persons who have not been confirmed.”
Dr Johnson reassured the public that there is no cause for alarm and Dominica is still safe to visit and reside.
Residents are being warned against breeding mosquitoes by emptying water drums or keeping them covered.
In addition, members of the public are advised to keep their doors and windows open during fogging operations by health authorities.
The Ministry of Health also announced a new measure has been put in place to terminate the spread of Chikungunya.
The Dominica Pest and Termite Control Authority has launched an indoor residual spray method which kills mosquitoes that come in contact with sprayed surfaces.
No deaths have been reported as a result of Chikungunya and the number of individuals hospitalized as a result of the disease remain at 3.
Chikungunya is a viral disease which is spread by the aedes agypti mosquito.
Education is key in this situation , we can’t afford to loose lives. Everyone has a responsibility to take care of their surroundings. By extension the health officials may need to consider aerial spraying cost cannot be measured up against humans lives.
We should kill the mosquito larvae before they grow. These little pests can live in any small reserve of water. If you have extra tires that are not in use, get rid of them. Water can store in the “trenches” of the inside of the tire. Objects like wheelbarrows and buckets should be stored upside down so that water cannot sit in the bottom of the container. Your drainpipes should be set up so that all of the water can empty completely.
Can the Moringa plant help to fight and prevent the virus!?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BGLs6ws1tI&list=PLUgDhWAnHYDGYruJOLn1fciy6396mcmd_&index=5
Honestly this people in the health really waited for this thing to get out of hand. I believe when they said there were 3 cases, I believe it was already 31. Now the Goodwill area and Castle Comfort areas are now infected.. Let me see if it will still be 31. More needs to be done to control this. The hospital is not even equipped to deal with this disease.
Boy, I doe want to get dat nah I cannot afford dat!
America help us please or else disaster
but what i doe understand with the min of health the wait untill this case reach so high, when they first spoke about the dengue they had mike all ova the place talking about dengue, and spraying all ova the country, now a new virus arise and u not even seeing them passing and spray talking about cover with mosquito net stupesssssssssssss. who can afford to buy net will buy net and the others who can’t will just have to stay to get bitten. what is wrong with our country
It could be an airborne illness through those mosquitoes. We should bear in mind from time to time the world experiences various illnesses.
A young woman who returned from China contracted the H5NI. Presently Canada has a few cases of HINI, again. Some people have died.
A few years ago Toronto had SARS which killed some people. We have had West Nile Virus, the Bird Flu and the list goes on. These are deadly.
Some people contract Hepatitis. This too could be deadly. We never know how, where and when people will contract them.
Patients are sick in hospitals and contract another illness while there. This could prove to be another deadly matter. The illnesses pose a health hazard for the medical profession in the hospitals, those who are employed there and who treat them. What about private doctors? They are liable to catching those illnesses.
Observe proper nutrition. Do your best to eat properly. Have a nutritious breakfast. Drink fresh citrus juices and the required amount of water daily. Do not over do it. Get ample rest. Inform others.
I believe in taking Vitamins as also C and E (some people also take them and other vitamins) as certain ailment deterrents. In general, consult your doctor for advice while you do not have the disease. Most importantly pray to God and ask him to keep you healthy.
Admin: Thanks for the information regarding this critical health issue. However, the article indicated that ‘….new measures that have been implemented by the Ministry of Health.’ It would be informative to know what these measures are. For example, is there a telephone number individuals can call to report public locales with stagnant water that promotes breeding of mosquitoes? etc. Thanks
Help! Help us!
Yes! We need help! A lot of it! All over the world we need help! Lord, please help us and keep away those insects and illnesses, we pray!
if oliver st.john from national pest had any knowledge of vector control he would know that fogging alone can’t control the breeding of mosquitoes anybody who has basic knowledge of pest control/vector control would know is identifying and treating major breeding ground of mosquito is key in controlling mosquitoes eg swamps and drains etc
I do not understand how your comment relates to the article. What does Oliver St. John have to do with the approach that the Ministry of Health has chosen to take and where in the article did the ministry of health say that fogging is the only method that they are using to deal with the problem?
at what point will an out break be decleared
31 cases and counting no doubt! It is already an outbreak.
Is there a natural predator that preys on this mosquito…where are the trained biologist? Time to get to work, identity the predator and set them loose on these mosquitoes….
The thought has crossed my mind. Due to the rain and flooding, this may have disrupted the mosquitoes’ nests. Therefore, they are going about angry as ever and feeding on the blood of victims. Take health precaution and in your surroundings.
In Toronto, we are told when going out in the evenings (of course in summer which is when mosquitoes are prevalent) to wear dark clothing as a dark blouse/shirt. It appears dark clothing deters them from attacking. Insect repellent helps as well. However, eradicating them from the environment is the solution.
Long sleeves, that is. Children/youths, women and men, do not wear shorts. Wear proper clothing. Keep your clothes on except I suppose when you go swimming and are in the water.
The government heeds too provide funds for an intense island wide spraying. This is not a joke…it is serious…dengue never spread so much and fast yet….So mush wasting of money on other things and none available to spray down the country???No one came to spray Castle Comfort yet and we have so many mosquitoes…This is not a joke…I don’t want to catch that funny disease..
After reading this comment i urge you to take some time and walk around your yard and eradicate any possible breeding location for mosquitoes. Start now it is everyone’s business.
Yes, thank you. Some people fail to realize the mosquito breeing grounds is in their yards, and they have a responsibility too
Please Ministry of Health, go all out to combat this epidemic. Only 70,000 people. We can’t afford to lose anyone.
My friend told me can never get that cause he does not eat chicken . He only eat fish
There are derelict vehicles all over. What about that? I am especially concerned with those close to three schools in the Bath Estate area. This is simply not good. And the rasta man that has his abandoned vehicle in Fortune how can we get it removed? This is close to where so many little ones are being cared for. HELP!
Dear God Almighty by Your promises of healing and Life in us, I speak against the spread of that disease in my country Dominica, and most of all in my village of Giraudel. Lord God, by Your Power in Love and Holiness, cause that disease to be gone from our land, just as smokes vanished in the air, once and for all. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!
People, people come upper Bath Estate and see for yourselves. 40cases mention, and over 150 reported at the Health Centre fromBath Estate. Come on CMO. Do better than that because we know tell others so the can avoid what is happening at Bath Estate. EDUCATE ?
dont blame DNO the chief medical officer is the onw making the report, he sould be the one to get his story straight and make an updated report
in the 60s and 70s there was a environment officer on the coast name mr hugh jno charles from st joseph do we have one today?
there are many places closer to st.martin than Domininca that have fewer cases,Anguilla which is just next door has 5 CONFIRMED cases,but they have little rainfall so the abundance of rain and the toilet problem could be an issue
this is getting serious, every one needs to clean up and help their neighbours ,clean up as well,because if you clean and your neighbor doesn’t then you are still in danger. With the amount of rain we been having pit latrines is also a problem.we need to try our best to do away with them. mosquitos can live and breed in them.
All that. OMG!Well i will have to wear long sleeves and long pants even when i am bathing. And everyday mosquitoes biting me we. Especially at night. When i wake up in the morning my hand does look like a grater we, but i do not have it yet.BUT I AM AFRAID.
You must give me your grater hand to grate nmy vegetables man.
Those mosquitos are a nuisance and a menace. They do sting. They come out at night time.
Have you heard of Witch Hazel? It is a mild liquid but effective: For the relief of bruises, swellings and insect stings. May be used as a skin cleanser or toner.
Directions: For external use only. Apply a cloth (or cotton balls/pad) moistened with Witch Hazel to the affected areas.
Acts as a soothing dressing for bruises, sprains, skin abrasions, swelling, muscular soreness and insect bites. May be used 3-4 times/day.
As soon as you are stung, apply it on your body, wherever you are stung. It could be applied when you are ready to go to bed. It may help you from those mosquito bites.
Talk to you doctor and also the pharmacist about this.
You can also Google it for additional information.
‘mosquitoes’
people also need to be responsible when disposing of trash. Mosquitoes breed in stagnat water… all schoolkids know that but do we care?????????
Seems they now need to greatly increase the fogging operations around the island to try to contain this disease.