Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/news/local/04/20/dengue-on-the-rise/
Dengue on the rise
By Stabroek staff | April 20, 2009 in Local News
-424 cases for the year
With 424 dengue cases recorded for the year, Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has warned that a serious outbreak is likely unless citizens take responsibility to keep their environment clean.
?We will have an outbreak, I am cautioning people, we will have it unless we begin to do something,? Minister Ramsammy told reporters Wednesday, when asked for an update. He revealed that up to last week most of the dengue cases were recorded in Georgetown, East Coast and Lethem, although the numbers have gone down following the fogging in both Georgetown and Lethem. The minister noted that for the same period last year, there were only 108 cases recorded. He said while there were cases that were not being recorded, there is a ?genuine increase? not only in Guyana but in all countries of the Americas.
According to Ramsammy, over the last three months the ministry treated more than 3000 homes by focusing on treating the water in tanks and the number one thing that had to be treated were old tyres. ?I can only educate people, I can?t come and remove the tanks, [and] I can?t remove the tyres and so on. Dengue would come at the end of the day not because of what we do but because of what we each do. While we have been making some inroads in protecting we are not going to be able to protect unless in this case all of us do it together,? he said.
Dengue on the rise
By Stabroek staff | April 20, 2009 in Local News
-424 cases for the year
With 424 dengue cases recorded for the year, Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has warned that a serious outbreak is likely unless citizens take responsibility to keep their environment clean.
?We will have an outbreak, I am cautioning people, we will have it unless we begin to do something,? Minister Ramsammy told reporters Wednesday, when asked for an update. He revealed that up to last week most of the dengue cases were recorded in Georgetown, East Coast and Lethem, although the numbers have gone down following the fogging in both Georgetown and Lethem. The minister noted that for the same period last year, there were only 108 cases recorded. He said while there were cases that were not being recorded, there is a ?genuine increase? not only in Guyana but in all countries of the Americas.
According to Ramsammy, over the last three months the ministry treated more than 3000 homes by focusing on treating the water in tanks and the number one thing that had to be treated were old tyres. ?I can only educate people, I can?t come and remove the tanks, [and] I can?t remove the tyres and so on. Dengue would come at the end of the day not because of what we do but because of what we each do. While we have been making some inroads in protecting we are not going to be able to protect unless in this case all of us do it together,? he said.