Siparia Mayor Doodnath Mayrhoo claims there are 275 suspected dengue cases in Siparia and two suspected dengue deaths. He also claims the Insect Vector Control Department (IVCD) in Siparia remains down with no vehicles or resources. Speaking during a press conference yesterday, Mayrhoo described the dengue situation as a crisis in Siparia and Penal/Debe.
He claimed it has reached alarming levels, with confirmed cases accounting for half of the national statistics. “To date, there are 275 suspected cases of dengue in the region, with 110 cases addressed through thermal fogging operations,” he said.
He added that as cases rise, both the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation and the Siparia Borough Corporation have ramped up spraying. “The responsibility for spraying falls under the Ministry of Health, not local government bodies, but we have been picking up the slack because the IVCD in Siparia is down,” he said.
Mayrhoo noted that the Siparia Borough has one UL (Ultra Low) machine and three thermal units. “We continue daily to do spraying in the mornings and evenings. We have increased spraying, and now we are going on a Saturday, so we have incurred overtime for the spraying done on Saturday,” Mayrhoo added. Giving a detailed breakdown of the extensive efforts to combat the mosquito population, Mayrhoo said, “We have sprayed several homes. In Icacos, we did 399; in San Francique, we did 510 homes; from the SS Erin Road Penal to the Quinam area, we did 840 homes,” he revealed.
However, he said resources are now running low. “We have chemicals to last the next ten days and granules to last six months. We were given some granules from Point Fortin Borough, for which we are thankful, but at this time, we need to get more resources given the amount of dengue cases.”
Mayrhoo said the deaths of two teenagers from Fyzabad and Siparia who contracted dengue fever underscored the need to have a comprehensive, collaborative mosquito eradication programme.
“Quinton Gabriel, a young teenage resident, died from suspected dengue. Had the ministries been doing work in the dry season to get rid of mosquitoes, maybe Quinton Gabriel would have been alive today,” Mayrhoo said.
He claimed the highest number of cases has been reported in the Woodland Pluck Road area, which also experiences the largest amount of flooding. “This area in Woodland is the last to be drained, exacerbating the problem. We have the most cases in those areas. I am calling on the Ministry of Works to clear these watercourses. It is easier to clean the watercourses when they are low in the dry season,” the mayor said.
He called for immediate action. “The community’s health and safety depend on a swift and coordinated response to prevent further loss of life and contain the spread of this disease,” Mayrhoo said.
Meanwhile, councillor for La Fortune/ Debe North Krishna Persadsingh claimed dengue had increased tenfold in T&T when compared with last year. He said St Patrick accounted for 29 per cent of cases, while Victoria accounted for 23 per cent. Persadsingh believes these statistics show that the communities that fall under the jurisdiction of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation and the Siparia Borough Corporation account for more than half of the dengue cases nationally. —Radhica De Silva