Trinidad and Tobago
Originally published on August 30, 2008; Last updated on September 12, 2008
Two people have died from complications of Dengue Fever in Trinidad and Tobago this year, both of them on mainland Trinidad. One Suspected Dengue death, which occurred on Tobago, was being actively investigated. This was the news coming out of the republic at the beginning of the month.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Anton Cumberbatch acknowledged that the two deaths had occurred on Trinidad – one in June, the other in July – while speaking at an Inter Sector Forum on Dengue held at Park Plaza in Port of Spain, Trinidad on Tuesday, August 26. He also divulged that in addition to the deaths, there were 120 Confirmed and 968 Suspected Cases of Dengue in the country.
We now have some evidence, thanks again to Newsday, that suggests very strongly that one of those cases was likely Dr. Amery Browne, Trinidad’s Social Development Minister. However, Dr. Browne would not answer any questions that were meant to elicit a confirmation from him that he did in fact test positive for Dengue.
A few days later, Acting Hospital Director of the Scarborough (Tobago) Regional Hospital Dr. Victor Wheeler confirmed to Tobago News that a father of six was suspected of having died from Dengue at that hospital on Monday, August 25, 2008. Visiting Pathologist Dr. Chunilal Ramjit was scheduled to perform an autopsy of the man at the hospital on Thursday, August 28 to confirm whether the cause of death was due to Dengue as the family was told anonymously by a doctor who works there.
In the mean time, blood samples pulled from the victim and four other Tobagonians, three males (an adult from Plymouth and a teenager from Les Coteaux; the address of the third male was not revealed) and one female, were sent to the government’s Public Health Laboratory on Trinidad for testing. The results are expected back any time now.
However, the official line of the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) and quoting Dr. Wheeler is that “there are no Confirmed cases of Dengue Fever at the hospital.” We will add our own caveat here: “…that is until the pathologist has made a determination as to the cause of death of the deceased and all of the blood work has been completed.“
Well, Dr. Wheeler revealed to Tobago News on Friday, September 05, that the post-mortem results for the dead man had come back conclusively negative for Dengue and that there were other medical causes for the death.
Back on Trinidad, Dr. Anton Cumberbatch, was admitting to the Inter Sector Forum that Dengue infections were on the rise in Trinidad and Tobago due in part to unfavourable weather conditions. He warned the Trinidad public that this has been “a very challenging year for Trinidad and Tobago with respect to Dengue.“
The good doctor admonished everyone to make it an individual responsibility to join in Source Reduction efforts to control the Dengue mosquito by eliminating all possible breeding sites in their communities.
Minister of Health Jerry Narace, who was also present at the Forum, added that his ministry had embarked on a prevention campaign as early as last December, thus implying that the authorities were not caught off guard by this worsening Dengue situation on Trinidad and Tobago.
Then just last week, Vector Control was given additional personnel, vehicles and chemical supplies to enhance their capabilities in fighting the disease. This information was provided by Minister Narace during a post-cabinet press briefing at the Prime Minister’s Diplomatic Centre in St. Ann’s on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008. The Minister also said that upwards of 300 schools have been sprayed and that the Ministry’s Dengue education campaign has been intensified.
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