Belize reports more than 600 cases of dengue this year


The Government of Belize warned this Friday that it has registered so far this year more than 600 cases of dengue in the country, especially in the north, and warned that it struggles to stop and stop this "important" outbreak.

In the first seven months of 2019, the figure is more than double that of the entire year 2018, the Ministry of Health reported Friday.

The portfolio added that most cases occur in the north, especially in the Orange Walk district, which reports the highest number of infections with 230.

They are followed by those of Corozal, with 100; Stann Creek, with 105; and Cayo, with 100.

"We had seen an increase of more than usual at the beginning of the year, but it had been gradual. However, in the last five to six weeks we have noticed a dramatic increase," said Lorna Pérez, Surveillance Officer at the Ministry of Health.

Statistics show that children between the ages of five and nine and adults up to 39 years old account for the majority of those reported with dengue fever.

"We must analyze the impact of what is really happening in neighboring countries," Pérez said.

A total of 17 people have died in Guatemala, a country bordering Belize, due to severe dengue in 2019, of which 65 percent were minors, confirmed the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance on July 18.

In addition, there are five more detected cases of severe dengue in people who are alive and there are another 31 records that are under investigation, 10 of which have died and 21 more suspects were discarded.

Health authorities in Honduras, with costs close to Belize, reported Tuesday that the number of people infected with dengue virus amounted to 28,603 so far in 2019, a disease that has caused 54 deaths in the country.

Of the total of patients who have contracted the disease, 20,932 are of the non-serious type, or classic, while 7.71 correspond to the serious or known as hemorrhagic, said the head of the metropolitan region of Health, Karla Pavón.

Additionally, Mexico, also with a common border with the Central American country, reported that dengue has caused 42 deaths from this disease in 2019, according to the Mexican NGO Against Corruption and Impunity (MCCI).

In a report, the agency said that so far this year and until May 29, 21,076 cases were accounted for, representing an increase of 250 percent compared to 2018, when there were 5,711 confirmed cases throughout the year.

Against this background, the Control Officer, the Vector Unit of the Belizean Ministry of Health, Kim Bautista, urged the population to take "precautions to prevent the spread of the virus."

"It does not take more than a few minutes to walk a little through the backyard to identify containers that are probably not in use and that serve as a reserve for mosquitoes to breathe," he said.

"Simple things like eggshells, coconut and bottles, which are containers that contain water that has not been properly disposed of: that is what is causing the problem," he concluded.

Dengue, which is transmitted by the "Aedes aegypti" mosquito, can be fatal in its hemorrhagic modality and has high fever symptoms, headache, vomiting and skin rashes.

. (tagsToTranslate) Belize (t) reports (t) cases (t) dengue (t) year



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