DENGUE FEVER remains a threat in Barbados with the number of cases soaring to 127.
Acting Chief Medical Officer, Elizabeth Ferdinand, confirmed yesterday that dengue fever was very much on the rise though there has just one death so far.
“Dengue fever remains a threat to everyone. The spiralling cases are a cause for concern,” she said.
Last week, Barbados recorded its first dengue death of the year when an 80-year-old Christ Church man succumbed to the viral illness.
Dr Ferdinand reiterated the call for Barbadians to stop the spread of mosquito breeding by keeping their premises clean and to cover water containers such as buckets, small plastic containers and drums or to dispose of these in a proper manner.
“It is vital that Barbadians remove any water-holding containers, bush, and debris of any kind from their surrounding sites. One of the things that I need people to help us with is to eliminate the breeding sites for the vector,” she said.
Dengue fever, also called breakbone fever or bonecrusher disease, is associated with headache, vomiting, muscle and joint aches, usually with intense pain at the back of the eyes.
“You feel, you have been beaten up. The pain is very intense ,” Dr Ferdinand added.
The Ministry of Health is continuing to enhance its vector control and prevention activities, including collaboration with the Ministry of Education to conduct inspection and fogging of schools.
Last week, Chief Medical Officer Joy St John, warned Barbadians not to use aspirin if they have dengue symptoms.
“You can have gastro-intestinal symptoms, that is vomiting or nausea with dengue. If you are having this, be aware that it is probably dengue, do not take aspirin or any of its derivatives or any of the non-steroidals like Cataflam,” she said.
Health officials have also indicated that one could contract dengue haemorrhagic fever if a person had been infected with more than one strain of the virus.
