Barbados: Dengue fever outbreak declared over; vigilance advised

The Ministry of Health and Wellness in Barbados earlier this year, declared that the ‘outbreak’ of dengue fever that had started in October 2023, was over in May 2024, which was a pre-mature report before a sudden surge.

The announcement came ahead of a period of increased alert in June, as the outbreak caused four fatalities and increased the number of cases in the past months, that is after the government’s report in May 2024.

The first batch concerned an initial 101 cases of dengue in October 2023. By the time the epidemic was most rampant between January and April 2024 alone, there were 1,126 confirmed cases in the region. By the end of June 2024, the number of confirmed cases was 1,133, and most of the students were affected during the outbreak period.

It was mainly caused by Dengue virus Serotype 2 with Serotype 3, as confirmed in the epidemic. Concerning the diseases, while there was no report of the Ebola virus during this time, the Zika virus was also not reported. However, there have been eight reported cases of Chikungunya this year alone that were clinically confirmed.

However, Health officials keep reminding the people of the necessary alertness because there prevails the rainy season and the conditions are still favourable for mosquito breeding. The Ministry of Health and Wellness stresses on the use of preventive measures for the diseases transmitted by the mosquitoes including dengue fever.

Dengue fever has become a cause of concern, and clinicians are encouraged to monitor for symptoms and or further manifestations of severe disease. Such cases are supposed to be immediately reported to the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

Precautionary measures, which involve the use of mosquito nets, appropriate and covering attires, and the application of insect repellent with DEET or Picaridin, should be employed by the patient and their families to avoid attacks by mosquitoes.

Besides personal protection, property owners and businesses are advised to scout their environment once a week in order to remove any breeding places of mosquitoes. The Health Services Act will require property owners not to allow the production of mosquito larvae and that noncompliance will bring legal issues. Adult mosquitoes must be reported to the Environmental Health Department at the nearest polyclinic.

This year, Freetown faces the same challenges of a high rate of Cholera infection and other water-borne diseases. Hence the Ministry of Health and Wellness will persist with weekly fogging exercises and other measures to curb mosquito breeding.

Ideally, the public should intervene and use precautionary measures in order to reduce the spread of this disease and other diseases carried by mosquitoes.