PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Health authorities Friday sought to clarify the procedure for reporting confirmed cases and deaths related to dengue fever as Trinidad and Tobago recorded its sixth death from the virus.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health said when an individual is admitted to the hospital with suspected dengue fever, a blood sample is collected for testing to confirm the presence of the virus. It said in cases where a patient with suspected dengue fever passes away, a sample is also taken for confirmation.
The Ministry said all samples, whether from suspected dengue cases or fatalities, are sent to the Trinidad Public Health Laboratory (TPHL), which conveys the samples to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) laboratory, for analysis and that the testing process can have a turnaround time of up to two weeks.
“Therefore, the Ministry of Health can only confirm Dengue cases and deaths once a positive laboratory result is received from CARPHA,” it said.
The ministry said that there are 666 cases of dengue fever and six laboratory-confirmed deaths, reminding the public that dengue is spread by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Symptoms appear within five-six days of being bitten and last for one-two weeks and can include: fever, headache (sometimes severe), pain behind eyes, muscle and joint pains, skin rash, nausea/vomiting, and diarrhoea.
The ministry said anyone showing signs or symptoms of dengue should seek immediate medical treatment at their doctor or the nearest health facility and that the best way to curb the incidence of the mosquito-borne diseases is by eliminating the breeding sites of the Aedes species mosquito.
