St Lucia on dengue watch
CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) — Health authorities here yesterday warned the population to take all precautionary steps to prevent the spread of the dengue fever, given the rapid onset of the rainy season.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness said dengue fever is one of the most common vector-borne viral illnesses affecting humans, transmitted through the bite of the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, and to a lesser extent the Aedes albopictus.
“Four stereotypes of dengue exist. However, persons receive lifelong immunity against a serotype once infected with it. Only serotypes two and three have been recorded to date in St Lucia, with the majority of the cases being children,” the ministry said.
Earlier this month the ministry reported a “significant increase in dengue cases on island” and that there is continued local transmission, which often peaks during and after rainy seasons.
While it gave no figures, the ministry said most of the reported cases are concentrated in the northern, central and eastern parts of the island.
Chief Environmental Health Officer Parker Ragnanan said intervention measures being undertaken by the Environmental Health Division include lava siding and fogging, and that householders and property owners are encouraged to inspect their properties at least twice a week in an effort to contain the Aedes aegypti mosquito population.
Ragnanan said it is necessary for the community to work together to prevent local transmission of dengue fever and that persons should avoid the indiscriminate dumping of garbage, which acts as a breeding ground for the mosquito.
“Very often, what we find is one household doing all that it can by taking preventative measures, but two households away, nobody cares. Mosquitoes have a very long flight range — they can travel up to a mile depending on the wind direction and wind speed — so that means to establish a safe zone, preventative measures need to be taken within a mile-wide perimeter of one’s household,” he said.