Dengue and Swine flue, they made big news back in July – but since then
they have faded from the headlines. Tonight we have an update. 33 cases of the
Swine Flu or as it’s properly known, H1N1 have been confirmed in Belize.
That is the updated figure up to yesterday. The majority of those cases are
concentrated in the Corozal District but cases have also been confirmed in the
Belize, Orange Walk and Cayo districts. Stann Creek and Toledo have still not
reported any cases.
Because of the decline in confirmed cases in August, National Epidemiologist
Ethan Gough, believes the first wave has peaked. He stresses though that they
are expecting a second wave to start in October, coinciding with the flu season
which extends into January.
And what about US media-fed fears of the flu mutating into a more aggressive
strain? Gough says, “if there is any indication that it is worsening
then we’ll act accordingly.” He said if its gets to the point
where hospitalization is required for infected persons, that would certainly
be a sign that there is a more aggressive strain in circulation.
And Dengue? Well that was confirmed as an outbreak in late July. But in the
past month the infection rate has tapered off. Gough confirms that it is appearing
at the levels usually expected for this time of year. He stressed that the number
of cases is no longer at outbreak levels. So far for 2009, there have been 397
clinically diagnosed cases, with 25 cases clinically diagnosed as dengue hemorrhagic
fever. There have been no deaths.
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