St. Maarten
update 3 on Friday, November 14, 2008
In the final days of October, St. Maarten’s Dengue Action Response Team (DART) predicted that the number of Dengue cases would surpass 100 by October month-end. At the time, the data for the first half of the month had just been released. The Dengue toll was then at 72, 14 more than the total for the entire month of September.
The final frame of October’s Dengue picture has now been shot and processed and what it shows is that the worst fears of the DART have been realised. With 69 laboratory tests still pending, the tally of Confirmed Dengue Cases is well past a hundred, at 119.
This latest scorecard is, however, evidence enough that the Dengue epidemic has picked up momentum, especially in the last week of October month, in spite of the robust interventions employed to curb the mosquito Indices on the Dutch side.
As has been done time and again in the recent past, the DART appears to be on hands and knees begging the residents of St. Maarten to become more engaged in the effort to search and destroy the Dengue mosquito and arrest the spread of the Dengue virus through the St. Maarten community. And it appears that the community members are beginning to respond favourably.
The personnel from DART, the Sector Health Care Affairs (SHCA) and the Department of Public Works are on high demand to give presentations about mosquito breeding and Dengue to primary and secondary school students. Starting on October 27, the schools have entertained visits from two persons from these agencies each day between the hours of 07:30 and 09:00 in the morning. These school presentations will run for the rest of the month of November.
The Vector Control teams that were deployed en masse in October continue on with their programme of house-to-house inspections and fogging.
These inspectors are now in Vineyard, Over the Bankand Pointe Blanche, an area that has been under surveillance from the beginning of the month. They are currently doing inspections, yard by yard. The team comprises of sixty odd public servants seconded to the Vector Control team for the duration of the campaign.
Referring to Pointe Blanche in particular, Head of the Hygiene and Veterinary Department Tony Boyrard has noticed that there is a concerted effort on the part of householders to clean up their immediate surroundings. “In some of the yards that we came across homeowners had already turned over pails and containers that could have easily filled with water during a rain shower and be an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. Those with cisterns have the open areas covered with a type of wire mesh/mosquito net,” Boyrard told the Government Information Service (GIS) on Monday, November 03. sxmislandtime.com
The St. Peters Community Council was due for a “walk-through” their neighbourhood this past weekend to speak with the people and to distribute fliers demonstrating how to prevent mosquito breeding.
Then there was Sucker Garden which responded to the Dengue Outbreak by organising a clean-up campaign for the removal of trash and to de-bush overgrown vegetation where mosquitoes rest during periods when they are not feeding.
“I commend the St. Peters Council and Sucker Garden community initiatives that are schedule(d) to take place and have taken place to date as it is a necessity. This is the type of community response that we are looking for in order to fight the mosquito responsible for spreading dengue fever throughout our communities.” said Commissioner Buncamper-Molanus.
A GIS (Government Information Service) release said that the Dutch capital Philipsburg and Fort William will come under comprehensive attack by the Vector Control team as of Monday, November 10.
Fogging will be pursued apace too. Following up on the spraying of Guana Bay, Black Bay, Cay Hill and Cul de Sac, Madame Estate, Arch Road and Sucker Garden, the Hygiene and Veterinary Department will now move the operation into The Keys, Reliance, Middle Region, St. James and Illidge Road.
However, the National Epidemiologist of the Netherlands Izzy Gerstenbluth has voiced his concern that there is too much of a lengthy turnover time in obtaining blood test results from the main laboratory in Curaçao.
Further, there have been problems in getting information about the types of Dengue viruses identified at the lab. Gerstenbluth complained that the blood samples sent to ADC-Curaçao are so inadequately refrigerated that serotyping has been near to impossible. More than one serotype is known to be in circulation on St. Maarten.
To correct this, St. Maarten Laboratory Services (SLS) has devised a form to facilitate the speedy release of their test results to the Dutch side health officials.
Gerstenbluth has written to the Netherlands health authorities saying that this situation is “unacceptable.” St. Maarten Daily Herald
Meanwhile, DART has put out yet another plea to contractors, building supervisors and foremen to redouble their resolve to contain mosquito breeding on construction debris, in open barrels, buckets, and standing clear/clean water in and around their sites. sxmislandtime.com
Previous Posts: Stop press! St. Maarten Dengue: 2 dead, 72 down for October
St. Maarten/St. Martin, St. Barths, Saba Dengue worsens
Dec, 7, 08 at 8:14 pm
I mentioned that I had dengue fever on my blog. I live on St. Maarten where I contracted dengue fever. I personally know of 4 people that have dengue right now. There is no treatment on the Dutch side.
I do work at a private school. Most, if not all, schools on St. Maarten/St Martin have had pupils/staff contract dengue.
Nov, 20, 08 at 11:05 pm
Listen Doc, I read the article and the SpringStar website too. A trap suggests that the mosquitoes are lured into something. But the way the literature reads, it seems as though the product is broadcast into existing containers; and when the bugs attempt to lay, they come in contact with the chemical.
Or is it that the trap is a device that attracts the mosquitoes and then emits the chemical? I don’t know. Do you?
Nov, 20, 08 at 11:23 am
Hello! It looks like you have your hands full down there. I recently read this article and thought you might have some interest:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/130061.php
A company called SpringStar has developed a “mosquito trap” for Aedes. This trap takes advantage of Aedes’ desire to lay eggs on the edges of standing water and delivers a tiny amount of insecticide, killing the vector. Hopefully, this will also help minimize the impact on the environment.
I found it pretty interesting and I’d be anxious to hear your opinions on this.