St Vincent dengue fever death count rises to 6

4th October 2020

By IWN

The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, today, Friday, confirmed that a sixth person has died as a result of the current outbreak of the mosquito-borne viral illness, dengue.

The latest causality is a 30-year-old female.

The ministry said in a press statement that the woman who had a pre-existing condition and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in a critical condition and died Thursday evening.

The death of the woman follows that of a 40-year-old female of McCarthy as well as a 4-year-old male, a 9- year-old male, an adult female and an elderly male – all of whose addresses the ministry did not disclosed.

The ministry, in its press statement, on Friday, reiterated that persons with symptoms of dengue fever are reminded of the vital importance of seeking health care in a timely manner, to avoid the possible complications of delayed care.

“Patients are also urged to comply with the recommendations of their health care providers especially for testing, treatment, review and admission where necessary,” the ministry said.

The symptoms of severe dengue fever include severe abdominal pain, dizziness, bleeding and vomiting, and can occur after the high fever has settled, typically around day four of the illness. Dehydration is caused by the high fever, vomiting and decreased drinking of fluids.

Dehydration results in decreased urine or tears when crying (in a child) and is dangerous and must be aggressively treated.

Persons with pre-existing conditions such as kidney disease, sickle cell disease and reduced immunity are at increased risk of developing severe dengue fever.

Home treatments for dengue should focus on reducing the fever by using cool — not cold — baths, acetaminophen (paracetamol) not ibuprofen, papaya leaf extract and maintaining hydration by drinking lots of fluids such as coconut water.

“The public is reminded to use insect repellants, bed nets and clothes that protect as much of the body as possible from mosquito bites. It is essential that we all work together to reduce the number of mosquitos in our environments, by eliminating their breeding sites.

“The fight against Dengue Fever is a shared responsibility. Our health is a shared responsibility,” the ministry said.

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