Thousands of dengue tests were done this year so far, and the country has confirmed that five persons died after they got dengue.
Statistics were provided by the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony on Tuesday. He told reporters that as of last week, a total of 32,000 dengue tests were conducted for 2024.
Out of that number, 8,000 persons tested positive, 500 of whom required hospitalisation.
“There are four types or sub-types of dengue. If you get infected the first time, more than likely you are going to be with mild symptoms or even asymptomatic.
“But if you get infected with a different sub-type then for most people or some people. It can give them a more severe form of dengue and that is what we are seeing,” Dr Anthony explained.
Noting that there is no cure for dengue, Dr Anthony said citizens need to play their part to prevent transmission by ensuring that their environment is clean. This is a fundamental aspect of keeping mosquitos under control.
“This is an effort that all of us would have to make.
“We also have a number of inspectors that would go around the communities and their job is to inspect to see whether people have water in barrels, look in their yards and advise them.
“If people can help by cleaning up their yards, cleaning up their surroundings it really helps us to keep the mosquito population under control,” Dr Anthony said.
And with fogging ongoing, Dr. Anthony said fogging machines are currently being procured to ensure every Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) is adequately equipped.
