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Health Commissioner Julia Sheen on Thursday said that since the first case of Dengue Fever was confirmed in June on St. Thomas, there have been no confirmed cases reported to the Department of Health on the island of St. Croix.
There have been only six suspected cases of Dengue reported to the Health Department by healthcare providers, and all six sent for laboratory confirmation came back negative for Dengue, Sheen said.
Reports of individuals dying as a result of Dengue Fever on St. Croix, while not taken lightly, are unfounded.
“We continue to urge healthcare providers and residents with information to contact the Health Department so that we can investigate and share the results with the public as Dengue Fever is a serious matter,” Sheen said.
In the St. Thomas-St. John district, where the Health Department has confirmed a Dengue outbreak, there have been 66 reported cases. Of that total, there have been 20 cases of confirmed Dengue Fever; 39 are listed as “Suspected” and seven other cases are listed as “Probable” based on reporting from healthcare providers to date.
On Thursday, DOH Epidemiologist Dr. Eugene Tull reiterated that people can die from Dengue if they don’t seek immediate care.
“Compounding this Dengue Fever outbreak is a flu outbreak, symptoms of which mirror Dengue Fever,” Tull said.
Symptoms of Dengue Fever include persistent headache, joint and muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. More complicated cases of Dengue Fever can result in Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever which is characterized by high fever, bleeding and circulatory failure in rare instances, may result in death.
Sheen said the Department stepped up its Dengue Education campaign in June after the initial case was laboratory confirmed. Residents have been urged to scour their yards after heavy rains to empty out man-made receptacles as part of that effort to prevent their homes from being a haven for the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Health Division continues to fog areas territorywide as part of its mosquito abatement program. Tull reminds residents, however, that Dengue is usually contracted inside of the home and transmitted from person to person via a bite from Aedes Aegypti mosquito which transmits the Dengue virus.
On average, it takes about a week before an infected mosquito can transmit the virus when it bites another person, he said.
Environmental Health staff conducted fogging on St. John on Tuesday and on St. Thomas on Wednesday and tonight on St. Croix. The schedule for October is as follows, but is subject to change:
- October 12 - St. Croix
- October 13 - St. Thomas
- October 14 - St. John
- October 26 - St. John
- October 27 - St. Thomas
- October 28 - St. Croix
To report Dengue Fever cases, healthcare providers are urged to call 773-1311, Ext. 3241. To report large pools of stagnant water, contact the Environmental Health Division on St. Croix at (340) 773-1311, Ext. 3109 and on St. Thomas at (340) 774-9000, Ext. 4641 or dial 715-5111.
For more information on Dengue Fever, visit
www.healthvi.org/dengue |
