Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Re: Trinidad: Dengue outbreak
Source: http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,92520.html
Year of dengue outbreaks
By LARA PICKFORD-GORDON Monday, December 29 2008
THE YEAR started with Health Minister Jerry Narace signalling his intention to make improvements in the sector. The Minister announced that the Regional Health Authorities and his Ministry would embark on 100-day plans which would tackle areas for priority action.
However, throughout the year members of the public and health workers had cause to show their anger with the failings of the service and system. This month there were vociferous calls from the Opposition benches for the Minister?s resignation.
There was some progress in health this year, but disease and death again stole the spotlight. People will remember 2008 as the year of the ?dengue outbreak?.
Dengue
From early January reports of persons contracting dengue fever began surfacing and continued consistently throughout the following months. To date the number of people who have contracted dengue is not known but there were many. Westmoorings, St Augustine, St Joseph, Caroni, Sangre Grande, Tabaquite and Freeport were among the areas hardest hit.
In January, 12 Chinese construction workers employed at the site of the multi-million dollar National Centre for the Performing Arts on Keate Street, Port-of-Spain, contracted dengue and there were fears that the disease would pose a threat for the Carnival season.
The workers were housed at Keate Street compound occupied by SCG International TT Ltd, contractor for the project. Six of them were hospitalised at St Clair Medical for treatment and the Keate Street area was subsequently sprayed a few times. The Port-of-Spain Corporation Public Health Department visited the site and made recommendations for cleaning.
On January 27, Mayor of Chaguanas Suruj Rambachan criticised the Health Ministry for failing to provide personnel to spray homes in the Borough to prevent dengue. He said there were ten confirmed cases and his office had to spend $13,000 to purchase chemicals to spray affected areas.
Reports of dengue deaths also made news throughout the year, with several cases receiving media attention. The death of eight-year-old Sasha Bickram on August 9 sparked outrage and Narace was severely criticised for saying her death was not due to dengue.
His view was reinforced at a media briefing chaired by Chief Medical Officer Dr Anton Cumberbatch who said ?a confirmed established cause of death can only be certified by a post mortem performed by a qualified pathologist and in this case blood investigation and report from that investigation must also be supporting the pathologist report with respect to dengue?. An autopsy was not done on Bickram.
There was more anger heaped on the Ministry when 11-month-old Josh Moonilal died at SFGH after being warded for dengue haemorrhagic fever.
At a post-cabinet media briefing on August 14, Narace said there was no dengue outbreak in the country. He said up to the middle of this year there were 120 cases and this figure was well below the mid-year national average 228 for the past three years. Narace also said there were no deaths this year from dengue and from 2003 to the present there were no confirmed deaths due to dengue haemorrhagic fever.
The Medical Professionals Association of TT subsequently responded to the Ministry?s data by stating that two deaths occurred in March and July this year.
In August the Ministry hosted an Inter-sectoral forum on dengue at Crowne Plaza in which Narace said two deaths did occur this year but provided no details. At the forum Narace said the Ministry was expecting an increase in dengue cases and had provided a $6 million allocation for goods and services to deal with dengue.
The CMO said there were 1,000 suspected dengue cases in the country and the last major outbreak was in 2002 when TT had 6,308 cases. Cumberbatch said the Ministry?s objective in 2008 was to prevent an increasing number of reported cases. However, the perceived dengue situation caused the UK Foreign and Commonwealth office to warn British citizens about ?increased activity? with dengue.
A team of experts from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) came to TT in October to provide advice on dealing with dengue. The visit was at the request of Narace and the findings of their report are yet to be made known.
The death of 22-year-old UWI student Camille Ramcharan of Frederick Settlement, Caroni on December 9 prompted a series of protests against the Health Ministry and its Insect Vector Control Division (IVCD). Residents led by Ramcharan?s father Freddy have demanded action to deal with the conditions in the area (overgrown bush, dirty drains) which they believed were contributing to the mosquito infestation problem which caused approximately 50 residents to get dengue fever. The IVCD held a media briefing on December 22 to provide an update on the work done in Frederick Settlement outlining a series of spraying activities. But this has not placated the residents.
The Ministry has said a full update on the dengue situation will be given in January 2009 by the Chief Medical Officer. ...
Source: http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,92520.html
Year of dengue outbreaks
By LARA PICKFORD-GORDON Monday, December 29 2008
THE YEAR started with Health Minister Jerry Narace signalling his intention to make improvements in the sector. The Minister announced that the Regional Health Authorities and his Ministry would embark on 100-day plans which would tackle areas for priority action.
However, throughout the year members of the public and health workers had cause to show their anger with the failings of the service and system. This month there were vociferous calls from the Opposition benches for the Minister?s resignation.
There was some progress in health this year, but disease and death again stole the spotlight. People will remember 2008 as the year of the ?dengue outbreak?.
Dengue
From early January reports of persons contracting dengue fever began surfacing and continued consistently throughout the following months. To date the number of people who have contracted dengue is not known but there were many. Westmoorings, St Augustine, St Joseph, Caroni, Sangre Grande, Tabaquite and Freeport were among the areas hardest hit.
In January, 12 Chinese construction workers employed at the site of the multi-million dollar National Centre for the Performing Arts on Keate Street, Port-of-Spain, contracted dengue and there were fears that the disease would pose a threat for the Carnival season.
The workers were housed at Keate Street compound occupied by SCG International TT Ltd, contractor for the project. Six of them were hospitalised at St Clair Medical for treatment and the Keate Street area was subsequently sprayed a few times. The Port-of-Spain Corporation Public Health Department visited the site and made recommendations for cleaning.
On January 27, Mayor of Chaguanas Suruj Rambachan criticised the Health Ministry for failing to provide personnel to spray homes in the Borough to prevent dengue. He said there were ten confirmed cases and his office had to spend $13,000 to purchase chemicals to spray affected areas.
Reports of dengue deaths also made news throughout the year, with several cases receiving media attention. The death of eight-year-old Sasha Bickram on August 9 sparked outrage and Narace was severely criticised for saying her death was not due to dengue.
His view was reinforced at a media briefing chaired by Chief Medical Officer Dr Anton Cumberbatch who said ?a confirmed established cause of death can only be certified by a post mortem performed by a qualified pathologist and in this case blood investigation and report from that investigation must also be supporting the pathologist report with respect to dengue?. An autopsy was not done on Bickram.
There was more anger heaped on the Ministry when 11-month-old Josh Moonilal died at SFGH after being warded for dengue haemorrhagic fever.
At a post-cabinet media briefing on August 14, Narace said there was no dengue outbreak in the country. He said up to the middle of this year there were 120 cases and this figure was well below the mid-year national average 228 for the past three years. Narace also said there were no deaths this year from dengue and from 2003 to the present there were no confirmed deaths due to dengue haemorrhagic fever.
The Medical Professionals Association of TT subsequently responded to the Ministry?s data by stating that two deaths occurred in March and July this year.
In August the Ministry hosted an Inter-sectoral forum on dengue at Crowne Plaza in which Narace said two deaths did occur this year but provided no details. At the forum Narace said the Ministry was expecting an increase in dengue cases and had provided a $6 million allocation for goods and services to deal with dengue.
The CMO said there were 1,000 suspected dengue cases in the country and the last major outbreak was in 2002 when TT had 6,308 cases. Cumberbatch said the Ministry?s objective in 2008 was to prevent an increasing number of reported cases. However, the perceived dengue situation caused the UK Foreign and Commonwealth office to warn British citizens about ?increased activity? with dengue.
A team of experts from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) came to TT in October to provide advice on dealing with dengue. The visit was at the request of Narace and the findings of their report are yet to be made known.
The death of 22-year-old UWI student Camille Ramcharan of Frederick Settlement, Caroni on December 9 prompted a series of protests against the Health Ministry and its Insect Vector Control Division (IVCD). Residents led by Ramcharan?s father Freddy have demanded action to deal with the conditions in the area (overgrown bush, dirty drains) which they believed were contributing to the mosquito infestation problem which caused approximately 50 residents to get dengue fever. The IVCD held a media briefing on December 22 to provide an update on the work done in Frederick Settlement outlining a series of spraying activities. But this has not placated the residents.
The Ministry has said a full update on the dengue situation will be given in January 2009 by the Chief Medical Officer. ...