The Bahamas has now broken its record for the number of dengue fever cases reported during the yearly seasonal outbreaks, with more than 1,500 confirmed cases, according to Minister of Health Dr. Hubert Minnis.
Minnis, speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Health yesterday afternoon, added that the inordinate number of cases this year has stretched the public health care system to the limit, as hundreds of people have been showing up at public clinics across the island with symptoms of dengue fever.
“For the last five days we have seen an average of approximately 100 cases per day from all reporting sites, including public and private facilities.”
While the number of cases in The Bahamas has been high, according to Minnis, the mortality rate from the virus has been extremely low. He said there has been a 99.9 percent recovery rate for those afflicted with the virus and a 0.01 percent fatality rate.
Minnis said that a dengue fever outbreak is affecting the Caribbean region and insisted that the low mortality rate in The Bahamas compared to the rest of the region speaks to the prime level of healthcare being provided to people afflicted with dengue fever.
Neymour insisted that in order to stem the spread of dengue, the public has to get involved by ridding their yards and neighborhoods of anything which can hold water and incubate the larvae of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is responsible for spreading the virus.
