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DSDS: ‘New dengue fever cases
reported do not mean epidemic’
MARIGOT--Health Department head Stanley Hanson of DSDS sought yesterday to allay fears of a fresh outbreak of dengue fever on the French side amid new cases reported. He reassured the public that the handling of dengue cases was still at a stable and manageable level.
“Two to three cases of dengue fever are reported on average every week, but that does not mean we have an epidemic on our hands,” said Hanson. “Some weeks we have no cases reported. It is still at a manageable level, but we have to be constantly vigilant.”
The most recent case was reported in Mont Vernon, French Cul-de-Sac, last week Thursday. Hanson did not have the total number of cases reported for this year at hand due to the public holiday, but said that whenever a case was reported the area where it originated was vigorously checked over and the area sprayed.
Currently all cases of dengue fever on file in St. Martin are those of the basic non-life threatening type called dengue primer, or primary dengue. There are no cases of the more severe and often fatal form called dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) in St. Martin, though there are cases in Guadeloupe and Martinique.
“I can not say the hemorrhagic type will not reach St. Martin, but in Guadeloupe and Martinique they are doing everything possible to contain it there,” he said. “They are spraying the aircraft coming to St. Martin and that appears to be working well so far.”
DSDS will be carrying out spraying today in the areas of Orient Bay, Orient Bay Park and Mont Vernon, between 5:30pm and 7:00pm.
DSDS urges the public to eliminate the places where mosquitoes lay eggs, usually in artificial containers of stagnant water such as car tyres, 55-gallon drums and buckets. Items that are used to collect or store rainwater should be discarded. Pet and animal watering containers and vases with fresh flowers should all be emptied and cleaned once a week to eliminate possible eggs and larvae.
DSDS also recommends regular use of mosquito repellent and creams.
Dengue fever is caused by any one of four closely related viruses – DEN 1-4 – and is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected Aedes Aegypti mosquito. It is estimated there are 100 million cases of dengue worldwide each year. Dengue cannot be spread directly from person to person. There is no specific medication for treatment of a dengue infection.
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