Trinidad

A 34 year old woman from Sand Hill Trace, Tabaquite, Trinidad has reportedly died from complications of Dengue Fever.  This is the news coming out of the South Bureau of the Trinidad Express last week.  The lady was one of a family of eight who were all admitted to the San Fernando General Hospital for treatment on suspicion of having contracted Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF).  The seven other family members - four males and three females, ages ranging from 12 to 44 – were released on June 03 after spending up to a week under medical care.

Oddly enough, the hospital authorities have not divulged the cause of death to the family at the center of this.  The death certificate issued to them cites the cause of death as unknown.  The hospital would only admit that “five family members are suffering with Dengue and two others are Suspect Cases.”   Imtiaz  Ahamad, Chairman of the Southwest Regional Health Authority, which overseas San Fernando General, was not available for further comment.  Sunita Gopaul, the Communications Manager for the Ministry could not be reached either.

However, tests conducted by a private laboratory and paid for by the family of the deceased showed that the death of their loved one was in fact DHF. 

However, the very day the seven survivors were discharged from hospital , another four persons, residents of the same Tabaquite community, were admitted to the hospital complaining of signs and symptoms, which resembled Dengue.  A fifth individual, a female who presumably became ill with Dengue, was said to have been taken to the hospital in the nick of time.  

The Vector Control Division of the Ministry of Health commenced surveillance and fogging activities in Sand Hill on Monday, June 02.

This most recent outbreak of Dengue is not at all surprising when one reflects upon a recent Pan American Health Organization report that predicted “…an increase in the number of reported Dengue cases in Trinidad…due to the change in the weather pattern(s)…“

Last year, according to the Trinidad Ministry of Health, there were 500 cases of Dengue in the country with 6 deaths.

 

 

Sources: Tabaquite woman dies from dengue, family treated  

                   ‘Brace for dengue’; Weather perfect for deadly Aedes