Dengue! 807 cases reported; hemorrhagic rampant in Belize City
michael pitts
Dengue has been in our midst for many decades and because of our geographical location and landscape, it is expected to remain in the country permanently. But since its presence, this year has proven to be one of the most deadly. The high demand for beds for dengue cases at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, coupled with the outbreak, has spawned an all out reactive approach by the Ministry of Health and related bodies. Representatives of those groups called a press conference this morning to let the public in on their roles in the fight, safety precautions, clinical treatment of dengue and an overall approach to the plague. News Five’s Marion Ali was present and has the latest statistics on this deadly virus.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Since the start of 2010, dengue has claimed three lives and has filled the beds at the Emergency Room at the nation’s only public referral hospital, the Karl Heusner Memorial. In fact, the figures are so alarming that they can very well surpass those of last year. But a worrying concern is that the majority of the cases that have been diagnosed have come from the country’s most densely populated area, the Belize District.
Dr. Michael Pitts, Director, Health Services
“For last year we had a total of about fourteen hundred cases and up to this point for this year, as Mr. Bautista will share with you, we have about eight hundred and odd cases.”
Kim Bautista, Chief, Vector Control Unit, Min. of Health
kim bautista
“Countrywide, eight hundred and seven cases of clinical dengue has been reported to the Ministry of Health, of which five hundred and thirteen of them have been reported in the Belize District and two hundred and ten in the Cayo District. In terms of dengue hemorrhagic cases, as of January until last week Friday we’ve had seventy-nine cases being reported of which sixty-four of them have been reported from the Belize District and thirteen of them from the Cayo District.”
Health officials say the number of hemorrhagic cases may also be high because of a new strain of the virus.
Dr. Michael Pitts
“Belize has been exposed over time to different stereotypes. There are four stereotypes of concern and we believe that we had stereotype two and three previously and there’s more than likely a new stereotype now and that could explain the level of hemorrhagic cases in the country. This pattern is similar to what you’ve seen in Mexico and certainly in the area of Quintana Roo, Honduras, Salvador, Santo Domingo, Trinidad and so on.”
The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, which serves as the country’s national referral center, tends the worst cases and as a result is the medical facility where the three deaths occurred. While those deaths are unfortunate, K.H.M.H. Chief of Staff, Dr. Bernard Bulwer, says that fatalities can be expected whenever there is an outbreak of dengue. After a direct question, he spoke specifically about the case of the young girl who died of dengue recently after doctors at the K.H.M.H. thought she had appendicitis.
bernard bulwer
Dr. Bernard Bulwer, Chief of Staff, KHMH
“In an unfortunate case where there were other diagnoses entertained and where the outcomes were not good, in this case the patient died, we as an institution look back and say what happened here? What could we have done differently? In this case, we did and in this case we believe and I can say with clarity of conscience, that it’s not just even one doctor who looked at that patient. It was the team; surgical, medial and critical care that looked after it and came to that conclusion. We are sorry that was the outcome but as bad as it is, people can die from dengue shock syndrome or dengue hemorrhagic fever.”
But before the cases develop or worse become fatal, health officials encourage the public to avoid harboring breeding spaces for the mosquito that transmits dengue. They also urge the cleaning of yards and drains in front of homes, spraying the house if someone there tests positive for dengue, and screening vats and large water-holding containers. Reporting for News Five, I am Marion Ali.
This coming weekend the Public Health Unit will conduct a cleanup campaign on Belize City.
Can’t Belie copy and learn from the States and other places that have learned to fight dengue and malaria by attacking mosquito breeding grounds? You go anywhere in Florida and the other states on the Gulf, and you see workers spraying every little body of water to kill mosquito eggs.
Better and cheaper to attack it that way, instead of waiting for people to get infected and put them in the hospital or cemetery.
We know where it comes from and there is no cure once you get it — so let’s stop it at the source.
since the begin of this year we have been hearing about dengue, and the unfortunate deaths os a few, The numer of victims has since mutiplied, why are people not helping the situation by helping to clean up the mess overall. when the hospital is full where will you go then.
performing major surgery for apendicitis on a child with hemorhagic dengue is like pushing her into the hole. the fact that 3 doctors saw her does not make the wrong diasnosis right. it means you need to check those 3 doctors.
good point Roberto
now Councilor Willoughby and the City Engineer are saying that we the people must must clean our drains and we must call waste control on Wednesdays to please do us a favor and pick up yard garbage . So why are we paying property taxes to the city Council. this dengue epidemic will only get worse with these lame excuses. how many times have we seen this councilor saying he has renogotiated the contract and solved the garbage problem, yet the garbage keeps piling up and the drains are the perfect breeding grounds for the mosquitoes.
Well Florida has many cases of dengue fever………… Belize is not alone. The clean up is a GOOD THING. YOU COULD BE POOR BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE DIRTY and filthy!!!!
Stereotype?????, what Stereotype????????????
This just sickens me every time i hear it. Here they are encouraging people to clean yard to avoid breeding grounds, when we all know most of these breeding ground are the drains that our government officials refuse to tackle as a priority to clean out so that the water does not remain stagnant. I live in Belmopan and its so sad when you walk around some areas to see how stagnant the water is and nothing is being done to addressed it. Yet you hear the numbers are rising. If they refuse to control the problem then they should be talking about how much people have to go the cemetery for their non-proactive approach to this problem. Every year it the same thing when we all know what time of year this is on the rise….I just these people who think they can run a country and have no sense of vision.
the MOH need to realize that Belizeans are not stupid. how dare they hold a press conference claiming that the numbers are going down and saying that they are doing all they can… and talking about campaigns.
they should have said something MONTHS ago. maybe if they did. 3 people wouldn’t be dead. how dare they try to downplay these deaths as if 3% is so low and so good. ONE LIFE LOST TO THIS DISEASE IS TOO MUCH. we have to remember that the people who died were someone’s child, father, son…
as a belizean i am offended by this show that they put off yesterday. damn them and their incompetence. the public health system and the governement both need to reassess their purpose – which should be to serve Belizeans. thank god for private hospitals like BMA.
MINISTER OF HEALTH …. ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Even me could see this is a cover up , just like the infamous Comission of Inquiry at the same KHMH. when will heads roll for negligence. where was the CEO and the Minista, travelling as usual!!!
This dengue thing is going to continue until the Government gets the logistics to deal with the source of the problem.
You can’t solve a problem without knowing the cause.Come on GOB you guys seems to need some critical thinking classes.
politrics….politicians dem a fraud
Lets do the math. last month MOH official count was 378 cases for the first 6 months of the year, now 1 month later we are up to 807. and they still not saying it is an epidemic. what will it take mass graves!!!!!!!!
I AM NOT the same Robert who made the comment above (I guess I should change my screen name), however, I do agree with him. The U.S. had malaria and other mosquito born illnesses many years ago. These have been pretty much eradicated through spraying and other measures. In the Belizian governments defence, this would require a great deal of cooperation from your neighbors to the south and west. I think what we REALLY need is an effort on everyone’s part from the U.S. to South America. Lord help all of us to care about each other.
The patient would not die if they had done a good test. they could have at least check for the preasure, or if the child sugar was normal nothing was done just cut the , child after surgery then they decide to do a check up and find the childs sugar is high as well as the child has Hemorrhagic dengue . thats 1st class stupidity!!!!!!!