There’s a Dengue outbreak in the Cayo District. That’s
what the Ministry of Health says after 114 cases appeared in that western district
between May fourth and July fourteenth. And we don’t say “outbreak”
casually. According to the Ministry, the spike in reported cases exceeds the
expected number for this time of year. Couple that with the fact that these
cases are all within the Cayo district and all that makes it into a full-fledged
Dengue Outbreak.
And while at this time, the greatest number of cases have appeared
in the Cayo district, nationally, 184 suspected cases have been reported countrywide
for 2009. Of concern is that 17 of those cases were clinically diagnosed as
Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever, and again, the majority of those are from the Cayo
District. Haemorrhagic is a much more serious form of Dengue with a very high
mortality rate, but at this time, there are no confirmed fatalities. However,
sources tell us that the ministry is investigating one possible Dengue Hemorrhagic
death which is being reported on San Pedro. We stress that at this time it is
not confirmed – but the report is being officially investigated.
While we watch that very closely – Jacqueline Godwin went out
with the public health team in Belize City today to find out what they are doing
to make sure dengue doesn’t take hold in Belize City.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
Stagnant water like this is just the right breeding condition for the Aedes
Aegypti you see here busy in action. This type of mosquito is responsible for
forty five confirmed cases of dengue and of that number seventeen have been
diagnosed as dengue haemorrhagic fever. While the outbreak is concentrated in
the Cayo District, public health inspectors in the Belize District are taking
no chances.
Health inspectors have been visiting residents as part of their educational
campaign.
Mark Bernard, Senior Public Health Inspector
“The whole idea is to keep the container index very low. This means 
that when the inspector comes to your property and finds out that you have let’s
say seven receptacles holding water and he or she examines and looks for the
mosquito, if they find that these containers do not have the mosquito breeding,
then that’s a plus sign, that’s a good sign. However, if the inspector
finds mosquito breeding, the aedes aegypti then it shows that the conditions
could be favourable for the spread of this disease. And remember, the dengue
is always around in the rainy season. It is endemic in Belize. It is not something
that comes about from outside so to speak. It is always present so as soon as
the rainy season starts and conditions are right then we will have some cases.”
Besides the yard inspections, the chemical malathion is also sprayed early
in the mornings and late in the evenings, the times when the mosquito is most
active. According to Senior Public Health Inspector for the Central Region Mark
Bernard while the chemical scent may be offensive it is not known to be harmful
to humans, animals or livestock.
Mark Bernard,
“The EPA has done studies on malathion and its effect on wildlife
and human beings and plants and stuff like that and when you look at the risk
between the disease that the mosquito can transmit and the use of chemical,
you find that it poses very low risk. It is not something that is very toxic
and in addition to that, you have to bear in mind that malathion, it smells
bad but the active ingredient, there is a very small percentage. Similar to
when you take an aspirin, if you look at it, the active ingredient is probably
less than one percent. So basically the active ingredient is very very small,
very low concentration.
As soon as the rainy season started, the second heavy rain that came down,
we started to spray. Prior to that we had overhauled the machines and made sure
that we were ready. So as soon as the second rain came down, we started our 
spraying operations. The spraying operation is done by, we section off the city
and we do different zones. We do three consecutive operations per zone and then
we go back once every seven days.”
That helps to break the transmission cycle because after seven days, the offspring
hatches. Unfortunately limited resources limits the number of sprays conducted.
Mark Bernard,
“We are not really spraying in the rural areas as such. The spraying
is confined to Belize City and there is also spraying done in Caye Caulker and
San Pedro, those two areas.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“Why not in the rural areas if you’re also responsible for Belize
District?”
Mark Bernard,
“Well to spray on a regular basis in the rural areas would require
more machines, more fuel, more use of the chemical and that sort of thing. It
is the cost involved. However in situations when we have cases in rural areas,
we do a specialized campaign in that area and we do do some spraying also.”
But it is not only the responsibility of Public Health Dept. to ensure that
your environment is kept cleaned and protected but you too must do your share
in preventing the transmission of dengue in your neighbourhood and it all starts
by getting rid of the containers that are ideal breeding sites for the mosquitoes
that transmit dengue fever and the more deadly haemorrhagic fever.
Mark Bernard,
“It starts at the home where the population needs to realize what
contributes to the mosquito population. So when mosquitoes are biting, people
say what is the Ministry of Health doing. It is what you are doing. So you need
to control your premises, keeping your yard clean, removing old vats, tires,
old drums, bottles, cans, and anything that can hold water in and around your
premises. Also the cleaning out of the drains can also assist because once the
water is flowing, there is less tendency for mosquitoes to breed.”
Bernard says to date there are no confirmed cases of dengue fever or dengue
haemorrhagic fever in the Belize District. Jacqueline Godwin reporting for 7News.
Dengue Fever begins with sudden onset of high fever between 104 to
105 degrees. Other signs and symptoms include: headache, eye Pain or eyeball
pain, joint pain, muscle pain, backache, nausea and or lack of appetite, vomiting,
rash and general Weakness.
The public is also encouraged to use mosquito repellent spray or lotion
on the body or clothing, and to stay in well-screened areas. Dengue Fever is
a disease that must be taken especially if you’ve had it before, because
the second infection could produce the dreaded hemorrhagic dengue. If you would
like more information you can contact the Public Health Department at 223–1213.
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