BELI ZE CITY, Thurs. July 25, 2019– The Ministry of Health has confirmed that there is an outbreak of dengue fever in Belize. This year’s outbreak of the deadly fever is affecting the west (Cayo District), the north (the Corozal and Orange Walk districts) and a certain section of the south of the country (Stann Creek). The number of cases in Dangriga Town has increased when compared to the numbers from last year.
The Ministry of Health reported that there are 230 cases in the Orange Walk District, 124 in the Corozal District, 90 cases in the Cayo District and 105 in the Stann Creek District. Belize and the Toledo Districts have recorded the least, with less than twenty laboratory cases.
Dr. Melissa Diaz, the Primary Health Coordinator for the Central Health Region, told Amandala this morning that the Belize District is in the monitoring stage.
Lisa Tillett Moir, Senior Health Inspector for the Ministry of Health in the Central Region, told us that her job is to educate the public on the steps that could be taken to prevent the contraction of dengue.
Moir stressed that members of the public should clean up their surrounding area, and if they do get dengue, then they should go to the nearest clinic so they can receive care and be provided with a bed net so that other members of their family do not get the disease.
Moir added, “We will fog out your house for you to get rid of the mosquitos.”
Dengue is transmitted through the bite from the female Aedes Aegypti mosquito.
Moir said that dengue is known as an endemic disease, which means that the disease is around all year long.
We asked Dr. Diaz what criteria are used to classify an outbreak of dengue.
“It is classified as an outbreak when there is an increase in the amount we expect for the time of the year,” Dr. Diaz said.
The classic symptoms of dengue are usually a high fever, usually in the first few days; a severe headache, and joint pains and back pains which can be severe, Moir said.
“How dangerous is dengue fever, in terms of risk to life”, we asked.
“Some people can even be asymptomatic, but generally, most people just get better on their own, with rest. But there is a small percentage of people who can develop warning signs and can then go on to develop severe dengue, which can lead to death”, Dr. Diaz explained.
Moir said that this past weekend they were involved in a cleanup campaign in the St. Martin De Porres area, along with the Belize City Council.
Dr. Diaz said that prevention is key, so people need to protect themselves by wearing long pants and shirts/blouses with long sleeves, and they should open their windows when a Ministry of Health-affiliated pickup passes through their neighborhood to spray a chemical to kill mosquitos, and should keep their yards clean and keep the grass low.
Moir said that the mosquito that transmits dengue fever is a black-and-white mosquito.