Well being authorities have confirmed an outbreak of dengue fever in St Vincent and the Grenadines, three years after the final outbreak claimed at the very least seven lives, most of them youngsters.
The Ministry of Well being, Wellness and the Setting mentioned on Friday that its Epidemiology Unit has recorded 119 dengue fever circumstances to this point in 2024 and that of these circumstances, 23 have been in June and 82 final month.
“Based mostly on the epidemiological information, the variety of lab confirmed circumstances of dengue fever has exceeded the edge of the quantity anticipated indicating that there’s a dengue fever outbreak in St Vincent and the Grenadines,” the ministry mentioned.
The ministry is urging the general public to stick to all the essential precautionary measures to forestall the unfold of vector borne illnesses throughout the summer time trip.
“As we method the month of August, the general public is reminded that we’re nonetheless throughout the hurricane season and August is predicted to be hotter than regular.
“These climate patterns can create splendid breeding websites for the aedes aegypti mosquito. This mosquito carries dengue fever, Zika and Chik V,” the ministry mentioned in a press assertion.
It mentioned that to fight the additional unfold of the dengue virus, the federal government has carried out elevated public consciousness and well being training interventions in addition to elevated surveillance together with using GIS mapping for extra focused supply discount.
