Dengue outbreak in Berbice to be contained soon – Dr Anthony

…says 4000 test kits sent to region

Amid a dengue fever outbreak in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) which saw hundreds of cases recorded last month and the deaths of two children, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has revealed that interventions are underway and the situation should be contained within the next few days.
The health minister made this highlight on Wednesday at the launch of the ministry’s new mental health initiatives during a side interview with members of the media. According to the health minister the ministry has observed a significant number of cases being recorded in the Berbice area particularly in Region Six.
On this point Dr. Anthony highlighted that the ministry has since deployed a number of resources within the region to bring the situation under control.
“So, for dengue fever we have been seeing a set of cases in region 6, and the Ministry has taken a very proactive approach, so we’ve been working with all the NDCs in Region 6 to be able to control the mosquito population. Every NDC has been given equipment, chemicals, they’re doing fogging, they’re also doing larviciding.”
The minister added, “and we have teams now that are visiting every home and looking for containers or stagnant water, and advising the people living there on what to do, so that’s one aspect of what they’re doing. Because of the cases that we have seen, we have increased testing, and we have added a number of sites where testing can be done.”
In fact, Dr Anthony revealed that over the past week in Region Six alone the ministry has distributed thousands of test kits as well as deploy a special team as parts of its efforts to deal with the current situation.
“Over the last week, we have sent more than 4,000 test kits to region 6 alone, so that they can increase the amount of testing that they are doing. We have a special team, comprising of people from the region and centrally, that is every day monitoring the situation, and based on where we are seeing cases, positive cases, they’re able to respond appropriately.”
Moreover, the health minister noted that additional resources were distributed to hospitals within the region. With these measures in place Dr. Anthony said that the situation should be under control within the next few days
“For persons who get sick and need to be hospitalized, we have added additional resources to both New Amsterdam, Skeldon, and Port Mourant, if there’s an increase in hospitalization, that they’ll be able to take care of those cases. So, I think right now, with the increased focus that we have, in a couple of days’ time, we should have the situation completely stabilized.”
Meanwhile four days ago Region Six Chairman, David Armogan had revealed that two young children died recently from dengue related complications. The two, a 6-year-old, who died Saturday, May 3, and an 11-year-old, who died Wednesday, May, 7, are among the hundreds of cases of dengue recorded in Region Six. Some 332 dengue cases have been recorded in the Region for April alone.

Dengue fever
Dengue (break-bone fever) is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people. The virus is most commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions, including Central and South America, Africa, parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Dengue is spread by Aedes mosquitos, which also carry viruses like Zika and chikungunya. The mosquitoes’ bites someone with dengue fever and then bites someone else, causing them to become infected.
Dengue fever in children presents with symptoms similar to other viral infections, including high fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, and rash. Severe dengue can lead to complications like bleeding, low blood pressure, and organ failure. Early recognition of warning signs like persistent vomiting, bleeding, and restlessness is crucial for timely medical attention and can prevent severe complications.