Préfecture declares the
dengue epidemic over
MARIGOT--Authorities officially concluded Tuesday that St. Martin is no longer in a dengue epidemic phase following a decrease in suspected cases and a long period of dry weather.
St. Barths is also no longer in a pre-alert epidemic phase.
For the past seven weeks, St. Martin has remained consistently below the epidemic threshold for clinically suspected cases, officials said. Currently one adult is in the French side hospital with a severe form of biologically confirmed dengue since the beginning of May.
Préfet Délégué Dominqie Lacroix, who was joined by Health Inspector Stéphane Barlerin, and fourth vice-president Pierre Aliotti, briefed the press on the current dengue situation that up to now has kept health authorities on a high state of vigilance since mid-November 2007 until mid-April 2008.
It was widely acknowledged that all Caribbean islands and South America have been affected by dengue, spreading from the south to the north, with Martinique and Guadeloupe being hit particularly hard.
“When you have four types of virus serotypes in circulation in the region as a whole, the risk is quadrupled,” explained Stéphane Barlerin. “This year has definitely been very bad but then again we continue working to improve our surveillance and networks.”
From mid-November 2007 to April, some 2,130 persons were clinically suspected of contracting dengue on the French side and 500 in St. Barths.
In St. Martin during this period, twenty two persons (fourteen adults and eight children) were hospitalised. Of this number, nine out of fourteen adults had severe dengue. The predominant serotype in St. Martin has been DEN-1
In a review of how effectively dengue had been handled in the northern islands, it was noted Direction de la Santé et du Développement Social (DSDS) of Guadeloupe, Cellule Inter Régionale d’Epidememologie of Antilles-Guyana, the main Guadeloupe hospital, as well as a committee of experts, including doctors and biologists, had been at the forefront of efforts to control the spread of dengue.
Some 80 anti-mosquito fogging sorties had been carried out during this period and extra staff deployed and frequent meeting among all the experts held. An awareness campaign had been disseminated via the print and broadcast media, and many businesses cooperated by allowing posters to be put up or flyers left in their premises.
All arriving and departing planes from Grand Case airport had been sprayed with mosquito repellent and the removing of car wrecks had also helped.
Préfet Lacroix, however, reminded the improved situation was not a signal to let one’s guard down. The public should continue to follow all the guidelines at home and in the yard to prevent mosquito breeding.
He noted the second half of 2008 will see a new health clinic for dengue opened in September and an improved information campaign on dengue prevention. There would be more emphasis on targeting schools and colleges with information as well as the tourism office to advise visitors.
