San Pedranos take precautions against dengue
With the disease known as dengue fever sweeping through neighbouring Guatemala and El Salvador, medical authorities in Belize remain on a high state of alert. And nowhere in the country are officials more vigilant than in the town of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. With its large number of Central American labourers and an economy based on the goodwill of visiting tourists, San Pedranos are hyper sensitive when it comes to a health issue like dengue. That’s why, as Jacqueline Woods reports, residents are taking no chances.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Since four cases of dengue fever were confirmed three weeks ago in San Pedro, health officials and community activists have been pounding the sand to educate residents about the disease and the different steps they can take to protect themselves.
Javier Alpuche, Health Inspector, San Pedro
“What we are doing is visiting house to house, doing a number of things. One, we are increasing the public’s awareness as to what is dengue, how it is prevented, what the disease is all about, what are the signs and symptoms of the disease.”
Dengue fever or what is known locally as break bone fever is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. If left untreated, the condition can be fatal. But the disease does not have to be deadly. One way the situation is being controlled on the island is by eradicating the mosquito breeding sites. The insect thrives in stagnant water, the kind that is found in old tyres and other debris where water can easily be collected.
Barnaby Badillo, Vice President, San Pedro Red Cross
“This is a very good example where you can actually grow mosquitoes. So by avoiding these pieces of over here, we can all try to stop the dengue from spreading all over around.”
On Saturday, Barnaby Badillo, Vice President of San Pedro’s Red Cross, was in the area of Boca Del Rio. Badillo and a group of volunteers were canvassing the neighbourhood to identify hotspots.
Jacqueline Woods
“The group of volunteers are targeting three specific locations in their campaign to control the situation on the island.”
Barnaby Badillo
“We have fresh water from the rain that actually dropped to the ground and it gets converted to this kind of water. And this kind of water is a hundred percent convenient for the mosquitoes to breed. These are the more dangerous ones also because this would dry probably in a week or two weeks, but then water still stays here and that’s where mosquitoes would grow also. So if we put these things like that, upside down, it actually helps a lot not to let mosquitoes to grow in those areas.”
Residents are also discouraged from leaving their water containers uncovered as this would give the insects easy access to lay their eggs. The San Pedro Town Council sprays insecticide daily throughout the island to control the mosquito.
Javier Alpuche, Health Inspector, San Pedro
“We have the San Pedro Town Council presently fogging in the mornings, at dawn and dusk, in the mornings and evenings to control the adult mosquito.”
Investigations have reveal that the first case of Dengue is suspected to have been brought to the island by a Mexican national who had visited the caye. Health officials say besides the confirmed cases, there are a number of suspected cases that have not yet been reported.
Dr. Giovanni Solorzano, San Carlos Medical Clinic
“The symptoms of dengue include high fever, headache, pains around the eyes, retro orbital pain and very high fever. On usually the fifth or eight day, the patient starts complaining about a rash on the skin and that is when the disease is about to finish or ending.”
Doctor Giovanni Solorzano, who has treated the confirmed cases, says considering what is presently taking place in our neighbouring countries, it is important that the campaign continues on the island. So far, Belize has been free of the haemorrhagic type of dengue fever. The deadly disease, which has killed several people in neighbouring countries, is also transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Dr. Giovanni Solorzano
“In the past, we have had experiences. For example in Cuba in 1991, they reported three hundred and fifty thousand cases of dengue fever of which one hundred and seventy-six people died. At the present moment in our neighbouring countries in Central America, we have had dengue haemmoraghic fever in Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. So we have to be concerned because they are our neighbouring countries and anytime we can also have haemmoraghic dengue in the country.”
However, health officials on the island remain optimistic and say because of the ongoing eradication activities, the situation in San Pedro has been controlled.
Javier Alpuche
“I believe I can say that we have, we have it in control, the situation, whereby cases have been reduced to such a level that it shows that what you have been doing is actually working.”
Alpuche says periodic checks will be made of those neighbourhoods visited to see that yards are being kept free of debris. Jacqueline Woods reporting for News 5.
Viewers should note that health officials have reported that another virus with symptoms similar to dengue, but much less severe, has also been making the rounds. So don’t automatically assume that if you come down with a high fever and aching joints that you have dengue.
