Dengue outbreak hits St Vincent and the Grenadines again, 600 cases confirmed

Health Officials have confirmed the outbreak of dengue in St Vincent and the Grenadines, with 600 active cases reported. In response, the authorities are taking constant measures, which include increased fogging and source reduction operations throughout the country as an effort to safeguard the countrymen.

The authorities confirmed that these measures are being taken to combat the breeding of the Aedes Egypti mosquitoes, the vector for Dengue. Notably, Aedes aegypti is a known vector of several viruses including yellow fever virus, dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and Zika virus.

These usually bites during the daytime hours when people are active. Therefore, bites can occur at home, work and school. These mosquitoes can be recognized by black and white markings on its legs and a marking in the form of a lyre on the upper surface of its thorax.

Therefore, the Ministry of Education of St Vincent and the Grenadines has also come up with an initiative of allowing students to wear light-coloured clothes outside of the regular uniform. The mosquitoes are less attracted to light-colored clothing as these colours are less conspicuous and do not retain heat like dark colours.

They have also advised to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, particularly during peak mosquito activity times in order to prevent themselves from the mosquito bite. These long sleeves and pants act as a barrier between the skin and mosquitoes, reducing the chance of bites.

The clothing that covers the skin entirely makes it difficult for the mosquitoes to find a place to bite.

Moreover, the Ministry of Health of St Vincent and the Grenadines has also urged the citizens of the country to co-operate Vector Control personnel in order to let them do their work in curbing the breeding and spread of mosquitoes.

While shedding light on the steps that can be taken in order to control mosquito spread, the authorities stated that firstly all the citizens of the country need to remove stagnant water from their premises. As, standing water is the number one breeding spot for mosquitoes as they breed by laying eggs in such water.

Mosquito larvae lives in standing water and that larvae require only few quantites of water, and even something as small as a puddle of water on a discarded plastic bag can house them.

Along with that, the authorities also asked the citizens to cover their drums or containers where water is stored. The authorities also asked all the countrymen to dispose of all their unwanted articles, such as tires, which can collect water and become mosquito breeding grounds.

All the citizens have also been urged to cut down and remove all bush or undergrowth that can harbour mosquitoes. They also shed light on the importance of cleaning drains and guttering to allow for the free flow of water.