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  • 2 years ago
The local death toll due to dengue has risen to five, even as health authorities renew their plea to citizens to do more. Global counterparts appear to be similarly challenged as experts say the viral illness will only increase in the coming years.
Transcript
00:00The health ministry is reporting 450 laboratory-confirmed cases of dengue fever and five laboratory-confirmed deaths.
00:09As we record our fifth laboratory-confirmed dengue-related death,
00:14I take the opportunity to inform the public that all state agencies continue to work collaboratively
00:21to reduce the mosquito population as far as possible.
00:25Minister Dyalsing renewed a call to homeowners to do their part in preventing the spread of the deadly disease.
00:32According to data from the health ministry, TNT recorded 86 cases in 2020, 34 in 2021, 28 in 2022 and 57 in 2023,
00:45compared with the 450 recorded for 2024 thus far.
00:51The World Health Organization says there are currently 90 countries with known active dengue transmissions.
00:58The global number of cases represent a 232% increase compared with 2023.
01:06The Yale School of Environment, doing their research, says increased temperatures and rainfall
01:12are causing mosquitoes that transmit the dengue virus to extend their range and prolong the season of spread.
01:19In 2023, more than 4.5 million cases and 4,000 deaths were reported globally.
01:26Global climate models project that an additional 2 billion people could be at risk of infection by 2080.
01:34In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is on high alert, with cases being reported en masse.
01:42It says the global incidence of dengue in 2024 has been the highest on record for this calendar year,
01:49with countries in the Americas reporting a record-breaking number of cases,
01:54exceeding the highest number ever recorded in a single year.
01:58Although a few countries have not followed suit, in March this year,
02:02Puerto Rico's health secretary declared a dengue epidemic after cases began to surge dramatically across the island.
02:10On June 26th, at a parliamentary committee meeting,
02:13Chief Medical Officer Dr. Roshan Parasram said TNT is hyper-endemic when it comes to dengue.
02:19At that time, he said, while there has been an increase in the number of cases,
02:24with about 147 on record for the year, the epidemic curve did not go into the alarm zone
02:31and was still then within the control level.
02:34Urvashi Tewari, Ruppenrein, TV6 News.
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