In response to the alarming surge in dengue fever instances, the Ministry of Well being and Human Companies has initiated an intensive fogging schedule spanning each island within the Turks and Caicos.
First dengue case confirmed
Reviews are that TCI acquired affirmation of its first dengue case on October 17, 2023.
Since then, the Well being Ministry, in collaboration with healthcare suppliers and elevated public consciousness, has intensified testing efforts.
Based on studies, they’ve recognized 13 confirmed instances of dengue, with an extra 74 suspected instances, portray a regarding image of the state of affairs.
Dengue outbreak: A looming risk
The rising numbers have sounded the alarm for a possible dengue outbreak within the Turks and Caicos Islands.
These confirmed instances will not be uniformly distributed throughout the archipelago, with the breakdown as follows:
- Providenciales: 12 confirmed instances
- Grand Turk: 1 confirmed case
Varieties of dengue virus
The well being ministry additional notes there are 4 dengue virus sorts. Two sorts of dengue virus have since been recognized within the TCI- sort two and kind three (DENV-2 and DENV-3).
Among the many confirmed instances, eight have been attributed to sort three, identified for its potential to trigger extreme manifestations of the illness.
In the meantime, sort two has been recognized in a single confirmed case, whereas the remaining instances didn’t meet the standards for typing.
Measures to sort out dengue disaster
Based on media studies, Shaun D. Malcolm, the Minister of Well being and Human Companies shared that in response to the dengue instances, the Ministry of Well being and Human Companies, by the Vector Management Unit of the Environmental Well being Division, has considerably escalated vector management actions throughout the islands.
Malcolm said that these efforts embody the therapy of swamps, giant our bodies of standing water, premises inspections, and fogging operations.
Moreover, Malcolm highlighted the collaborative efforts with the Deputy Governor, which resulted within the approval for added Vector Management Officers, with their onboarding now being prioritized.
