(PointXpress)A nine-year-old boy died after contracting dengue fever in The Bahamas. This was the first death recorded since a dengue outbreak began nearly a month ago. Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan confirmed the child’s death at a media conference on Tuesday afternoon.
“He would have presented with a viral type illness but did not continue with the care that was provided. Unfortunately, he succumbed to the illness,” McMillan said.
The Bahamas has recorded approximately 88 cases of dengue. Health Minister Dr Michael Darville revealed most cases are in New Providence. However, they are spreading to the Family Islands, which are a hotspot for leisure travel. Darville said dengue cases on the Family Islands were detected in persons who travelled from New Providence. Despite the mosquito-borne virus’ spread, McMillan said the island is still in the outbreak stage, as their data has not concluded that dengue has become endemic.
Meanwhile, Darville has responded to former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands’ lobbying for the government to implement a dengue vaccination program to help curb the virus’ spread. Darville told reporters that officials have reached out to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) to inquire about accessing vaccines.
“The Bahamas is not endemic for dengue. We reached out to PAHO to give us advice on the possibility of vaccines. And based on what’s being discussed, we believe not being an endemic area sort of excludes The Bahamas from a national vaccination programme for dengue,” Darville said.
The Environment Ministry has launched a nationwide campaign to curb the spread of dengue. The public information and response campaign is titled “Fight The Bite”. Insect Vector crews will be spraying insecticides in various communities nightly and special attention will be paid to tyre shops to ensure they are disposing of old tyres according to the law
