Dengue fever on the rise

PORT–OF–SPAIN, Trinidad – Health officials yesterday confirmed an outbreak of dengue fever and urged citizens to do more to eradicate the aedes aegypti mosquito responsible for spreading the virus.Chief Medical Officer Dr Anton Cumberbatch told a news conference that while five persons had died from suspected dengue fever, only three of the cases had been confirmed so far.He said more than 600 cases had been reported to medical institutions across the island and warned: “We may not have reached the numbers as before but we have to declare that we have an outbreak.“Even though we are only talking about 600 cases we are also talking about five reported deaths of which three have been confirmed. It leads me to the point that we do not need an outbreak of dengue for people to die in Trinidad and Tobago of dengue.” Cumberbatch told reporters that the dengue fever problem will not go away anytime soon as a result of the rainy season.“The rainy season lasts until December, so we are in July and this is not going away anytime soon, so we are in for the long haul. If we continually manage our environment and our homes we will not be standing here speaking to you about dengue over and over,” he said.Dengue is spread by the aedes aegypti mosquito that has previously bitten an infected person. The mosquito flourishes during rainy seasons but can breed in water-filled flower pots. Among the symptoms of dengue fever are headaches, fever, exhaustion, sever muscle and joint pain, swollen glands and rash.Other signs of dengue fever include bleeding gums, severe pain behind the eyes, and red palms and soles. Health Minister Therese Baptiste-Cornelis told the news conference that her ministry would be seeking to implement more measures aimed at dealing with the dengue problem.But she said that citizens must take more preventative measures to deal with the spread of the dengue fever. (CMC)