By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

SEVENTY-SIX per cent of people diagnosed with dengue fever have type three of the virus, a more severe form of the disease, according to Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville.

 He said people who previously had the virus are at high risk for severe illness if they get re-infected.

 “That is a concern for us, and we’re working very closely with environmental health so that our fogging programme can be activated and also that we have the ability for education to notify the residents of what needs to be done to eliminate and reduce the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito,” he said before yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.

 Dengue fever, the viral illness, is spread through contact with the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The mosquito is most active after dawn and before dusk. It lives and breeds in standing water.

 There are four types of the dengue virus, all capable of inducing severe illness.

 The country last experienced a significant virus outbreak in 2011, with 205 confirmed and 7,200 suspected cases.

 There are 21 confirmed cases in the country, five of whom are in hospital.

 None of them is hospitalised in the Intensive Care Unit.

 “What is concerning the Ministry of Health is 16 of those came back stereotype positive for type three dengue,” Dr Darville said.

 “In 2011, we had a situation where we had dengue, and mainly it was stereotypes one and two. For that, we are concerned because if you had dengue in the past and if you have dengue with stereotype three, there’s a strong possibility that you would have a more severe reaction and possibly result in hospitalisation.

 “That’s why the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Department of Environment have been working so diligently to ensure that we educate the general population on precautionary measures and to ensure that we stop the breeding in those areas where cases have been identified.”

 Asked yesterday whether officials intend to increase fogging exercises, he said fogging is only one preventive measure.

“Fogging basically addresses the mosquito that is airborne, but if we still have breeding, if we fog today and we do not address the breeding sites, we end up having the same situation the following day, and so it’s important for residents to walk around the home and look for areas of potential breeding grounds,” he said.

 “Tie over those empty containers. Make sure that you have insect repellent and try to protect yourself, long sleeve as well as long pants.”

 Dengue fever causes severe flu-like illness and sometimes a potentially lethal complication called dengue haemorrhagic fever.

 Other symptoms include headache, muscle and joint pains and rash.

 Most of the dengue patients live predominately in the eastern and southeastern communities of New Providence.