Dengue cases in Guyana are increasing; see a doctor if you have a fever- Minister of Health – Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana

Last updated on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, 8:57 PM by Denis Chabrol

The number of dengue fever cases in Guyana is rising, prompting Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony on Tuesday urged people with fever to see a doctor as a precaution against the potentially fatal disease.

“If you have a fever, we encourage people to come to one of our facilities so we can test you because you don’t know what’s causing the fever,” he said in an update on the status of the mosquito-borne disease. virus.

Dr. Anthony said that so far this year, two persons in Guyana have died from dengue.

The latest figures show that of the 11,240 tests so far this year, 2,852 were positive. Of that number, 265 required some form of hospitalization.

He said dengue cases are most from region four (Demerara-Mahaica), region two (Pomeroon-Supenaam, region six (East Corentyne-Berbice), region nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo) and region one (Barima- Waini) arrived.

Last year there were 7,859 cases of dengue.

The Minister of Health advised Guyanese never to take aspirin if they have a fever as the drug could cause severe bleeding and other related complications if they are diagnosed with dengue. Instead, he advised them to take paracetamol.

Dr. Anthony announced that the Ministry of Health would distribute nets containing long-acting insecticides to kill mosquitoes in the coming days. The government, he said, would target residents of Region 1 (Barima-Waini), Region 7 (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Region 8 (Potaro-Siparuni and Region 9 (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo) to prevent dengue and malaria .

The Health Minister said the government has invested heavily in fogging machines and chemicals to kill the mosquitoes that spread dengue. He urged Guyanese to remove stagnant water and request chemicals to be placed in drains.

PAHO says there are more than five million cases of dengue in the Americas, with Brazil and Peru the worst affected.