Via News Day :
" After two years, Trinidad and Tobago (TT) is again grappling with a dengue outbreak.
The Health Ministry has received reports of five deaths out of which three have been confirmed as due to dengue haemorrhagic fever. There are approximately 600 clinical cases reported. Dengue fever is caused by an infected female Aedes aegypti mosquito.
At a press conference at the Health Ministry, Park Street, Port-of-Spain yesterday, Chief Medical Officer Dr Anton Cumberbatch said, “The rate of the increase is at an outbreak rate. We may not have reached the numbers as before but we have to be clear that you have an outbreak going on.” In the 2008 outbreak there were more than 3,000 clinical cases and six deaths.
Cumberbatch said there could be more than 600 cases (for the year so far) since the data recorded came from the public health service. Private facilities do not report directly to the ministry. Figures are collected from an “indicator” private health practitioner as part of the overall “epidemiological tracking.”
The media have been receiving reports of dengue in different parts of the country from Alyce Glen, Petit Valley in the West, Sangre Grande in the East, Morgua and Williamsville in the South.
Cumberbatch said of the five adults who died, four were from south Trinidad. One confirmed case is from east Trinidad. Health Minister Therese Baptiste-Cornelis has asked for reports on the cases to see if there were any links and to find out if there were any “errors in detection at the point at which they entered our system.” She expects to have the report by next Friday."
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