Guyana’s dengue cases soar to nearly 3,000 with two deaths
Guyana is grappling with a surge in dengue cases, with infections nearing the 3,000 mark, and two persons have lost their lives to the mosquito-borne disease.
Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony, in a video shared with the media, confirmed that out of 11,240 tests done, 2,852 people have tested positive for dengue so far for the year.
Out of those who tested positive, 265 of them had required hospitalisation, the Health Minister explained.
“This week, we have started seeing a decline in cases. So, that is a positive side,” the Minister posited.
According to Dr. Anthony, the majority of the cases are coming from Regions One, Two, Four, Six, Nine, and 10. To mitigate the spread of the virus, the Health Minister confirmed that intensified fogging across the country has been combined with proactive monitoring.
“Right now, we have various teams across the country doing [fogging]. So, by doing this, we will see the vector that is transmitting the virus will decrease.”
Furthermore, killing larvae in stagnant water is another way to impact the mosquito population. Recently, Berbice siblings Vishnu Mohabeer and Arianna Mohabeer died from dengue-related complications.
Dengue is an acute febrile disease caused by the dengue virus, which is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. There are four serotypes of the dengue virus known as DENV 1-4, each of which can cause an infection.
Persons with Dengue may experience fever, eye pain, muscle/joint pain, skin rash, headache, and generalised weakness. To this end, persons are advised to get rid of stagnant water and to use insect repellent.
