KINGSTON, Jamaica — Senior Medical Officer (SMO) for the Bustamante Hospital for Children, Michelle Ann Richards Dawson, on Thursday painted a grim picture of the dengue cases that the paediatric facility has been seeing.

There have been 19 dengue-related deaths recorded at the facility from January 2018 to November 21, according to the health ministry.

“As other hospitals which treat children with dengue the complications have been very dire and the outcomes have been fatal in some cases,” she told journalists at a Ministry of Health press conference.

She said the hospital has seen a significant increase in patients presenting with dengue symptoms, with the number of children being triaged in the accident and emergency department moving from 6,000 patients for the month of October (2018) alone, to 9,000 for October 2019.

“So we moved from 6,000 to 9,000 in the same capacity, infrastructure, staffing,” she pointed out.

Dr Richards Dawson said staff are continuously educated, given that there has been a declared outbreak from January 2019.

“In fact we have been at this for over 15 months – it’s weary both for the team and parents and children. The impact has been dire. There are some children who come to us in the early stage with fever, we try to advise parents what are the precautions, and break it down in simple language,” she explained.

The SMO said these precautions include advising parents not to administer non-steroidals – a group of pharmaceutical agents, which can impair the ability of the blood to clot, and increases the risk for bleeding, one of the most severe complications of dengue. She said parents are urged to stick to paracetamol and acetaminophen.

“If you’re not seeing improvements within 48 hours, seek help,” she stressed.

She said complications can affect vital organs such as the liver, kidney, and the brain. “We also appeal for those who come, ask your relatives, your friends, to go and donate. For every unit of blood we use, the blood has to come from somewhere. As a country we have to increase our volumes.”

She also noted that bed capacity has been exceeded, but that infrastructure changes are needed in order to add beds.

Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton acknowledged that the hospital has not seen any significant expansion in decades, except for the addition of specialist facilities, including the cardiac unit which opened earlier this year.

However, he noted that in recognition of the challenges of paediatric care across the island the Government has put in place measures that will address the issue over time.

He said the ministry is hoping to unveil plans before the end of the financial year for the addition of bed capacity at Bustamante Hospital. “It will include additional bed capacity and some additional facilities not just for patients, but for parents…we have some resources in place and we are now doing some designs,” he said.

“There are some big plans for Bustamante, while we build (a new hospital) out in the west,” he said. Dr Tufton said the public health system was not designed to deal with peaks, as this would result in excess capacity, which would be costly to the country.

“So you have to manage logistically when you have peaks, as you have in this case,” he added, pointing out that one of the management strategies that was recently announced is the University Hospital of the West Indies allowing patients 12 years and younger free access.

In the meantime, Dr Richards Dawson called for patience from the public. “The more patients we see, the more patience we will have to have because it means lots more persons are presenting and we have to see every single person. We are not in a battle against each other, we are in it together,” she said.

Alphea Saunders