The government has not recorded any significant increase in dengue, a common mosquito-borne disease.
Speaking on the sidelines of the opening of the Eccles Wellness Centre on Wednesday, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony stated that his ministry tracks dengue cases weekly and has not observed any unusual spike that would overwhelm the health system.
“We track every week to see the cases that we have, and I have not seen any significant increase in cases. We will continue to track, and as we track, we treat,” he emphasised.
He noted that the ministry maintains routine surveillance and treatment as part of its ongoing public health response.
Minister Anthony explained that several preventative measures are already in place nationwide to reduce mosquito populations and limit the spread of dengue and other mosquito-borne illnesses.
About two years ago, the government provided every Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) with fogging machines, and staff were trained and supplied with chemicals to carry out fogging operations in their communities.
Additionally, larvicides are being distributed for use in stagnant pools of water to kill mosquitoes at the larval stage.
These measures, Dr Anthony said, have helped to reduce mosquito populations and lower the risk of disease transmission.
At the clinical level, health workers across the country have also been trained to diagnose and manage dengue cases.
While there is no specific treatment for the illness, patients are treated symptomatically for fever, muscle aches and other symptoms, with monitoring in place to detect complications that may require hospital care.
