*Caroni, Victoria most cases
*May month sees increase
*Deyalsingh calls for personal responsibility
By Sue-Ann Wayow
FOR the period January 2024 to May 2024, there have been a total of 123 laboratory confirmed dengue virus cases in Trinidad and Tobago.
This was revealed by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh on Friday in Parliament.
Listing out the data by month, he said:
January – 17 cases
February – 13 cases
March – 19 cases
April – 31 cases
May – 43 cases
He said the ministry was most concerned with the counties of Caroni with 31% of the cases reported, Victoria -29% and St Patrick – 23% of cases reported.
Deyalsingh asked the population to help the ministry by taking personal responsibility.
He advised citizens, “Take regular precaution by wearing long sleeve clothes especially in the evening because these mosquitoes tend to bite in the night time, sleep under a net and use insect repellent and work with us on source reduction in and around your homes.”
Vases could be a good breeding ground for the mosquito and even something as small as a small bottle cap with stagnant water Deyalsingh said.
“Please let us work together to make sure that the dengue does not proceed any further,”he pleaded.
Deyalsingh said annually, in preparation for the rainy season the Ministry of Health starts its dengue and mosquito sensitisation programme, this year as early as February.
Focus was placed on spraying and source reduction from the home level into the community.
He said different types of spraying include ultra-low volume and thermal fogging and reiterated that spraying was not the only solution to combating the dengue virus.
Too much spraying can potentially be dangerous, Deyalsingh said.
On June 19, Trinidad and Tobago reported its first death due to the dengue virus, the first in five years according to the minister.
