The number of Dengue cases in Belize continues to grow and up to August 4th, there were a total of 1,294 cases recorded. That number is more than twice the total in 2018, and a report from the ministry of health warns that the outbreak could intensify when rains come.
The Districts most affected are Orange Walk with 420 cases, Cayo with 354 and Stann Creek with 228. Significantly, 53 severe dengue cases have been reported, several in high risk groups including pregnant mothers, elderly persons and young children. At least two deaths are being investigated as linked to sever dengue, but neither has been confirmed.
The Ministry of Health is responding at the district level with clean up campaigns and health education.
And this is to try and avert the type of outbreak that is happening region wide where Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua have declared national emergency alerts. Guatemala has reported 34 dengue related deaths, Honduras 82, and Mexico 20. In Belize, there have been none. PAHO reported today that across the Americas, during first 7 months of 2019, more than 2 million people contracted the disease and 723 died.
The forecast for Belize right now is that the number of reported cases is in a lull, but it is expected to spike again. The Ministry of Health is hoping for, quote, "additional financial resources from the Ministry Of Finance to ensure the situation does not evolve as what we are seeing in neighboring countries," according to an internal report.
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