While the last dengue outbreak in the Caribbean region occurred 10 years ago, The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) says disease modelling predicts that another regional outbreak of dengue may occur in the near future, prompting officials to advise countries to implement enhanced measures to reduce mosquito breeding and prevent the spread of disease.

In 2018, Latin America showed an increase in the number of dengue cases. More recently, the outbreak of dengue in Jamaica has elevated the level of concern in other Caribbean islands.

Most recently, the region experienced outbreak of other mosquito-borne viruses–Chikungunya in 2014 and Zika in 2016.

The measures used for controlling the spread of Dengue are the same as those for Zika and Chikungunya as these diseases are also transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. With the arrival of the rainy season within a few months, mosquito control and awareness activities need to be intensified. Caribbean Ministries of Health are advised to: Increase health promotion messages to prevent mosquitoes biting and breeding, combine efforts with communities to eliminate mosquito breeding sites, intensify vector surveillance and control and disseminate appropriate clinical care and treatment guidelines.

“We all need to clean up our surroundings. The two most important things to manage mosquito populations in our Caribbean countries are to manage water storage drums and tanks, and properly dispose of used vehicle tires to prevent mosquitoes breeding,” states Dr C. James Hospedales, Executive Director of CARPHA.

Image/CIA
Image/CIA

Dengue is a viral infection transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. There are four closely related but antigenically different serotypes of the virus that can cause dengue (DEN1, DEN 2, DEN 3, DEN 4).