119 Dengue Fever cases reported in St Vincent, precautions alert

St Vincent and the Grenadines: The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment of St Vincent and the Grenadines has recorded a total of 119 Dengue Fever cases till now in 2024. This surge in cases of dengue fever has raised concern among the authorities and has urged the residents to be aware and follow preventive measures to curb the spread of vector borne diseases.

The Ministry also gave a reminder to the public that as they are approaching towards the month of August, so the citizens need to be little vigilant as they are still within the threats of hurricane. They also added that this month is also being expected to be hotter than normal.

Therefore, they alerted all the residents to follow all the measures and steps which can help them prevent the harmful impacts of such disease. While shedding light on the frequent change in weather patterns, the Ministry noted that they could create breeding sites for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which can further result in spreading diseases like Dengue Fever, Zika, and Chik V.

Along with that, the Ministry added that as per the epidemiological data, the number of confirmed cases of dengue fever has exceeded the number that were expected. They added that this increase in numbers indicate that there is a dengue fever outbreak in the island nation.

Therefore, the authorities have increased surveillance, including the use of GIS mapping to combat the further spread of the dengue virus. Also, they have strengthened their human resource capacity at the vector control unit for source reduction and increased fogging exercise across the country. They also noted that the authorities have contracted a private company in order to provide additional support to the vector control unit for fogging and source reduction.

The authorities also mentioned that they are calling all the homeowners, community groups to search and destroy mosquito breeding sites. While emphasising the seriousness of this outbreak, the Ministry of Health has asked children, elder and pregnant women to be little more careful as the virus can be deadly.