Last Updated on November 2, 2020, 1:25 AM AST by Anthony Morris
There are rising concerns in Martinique over a rise in cases of dengue fever.
Local media reports which quote public health statistics show that since the start of the dengue epidemic in the last December, dengue fever has caused 28,000 cases and 12 deaths.
According to reports, between October 1 and October 25, this year, around 7,500 people saw a general practitioner for clinical signs which are suggestive of the illness.
Almost all the municipalities of the island are concerned, and among them, 17 have very high incidences, with more than 100 cases per 10,000 inhabitants.
Health officials say that individual and collective mobilisation stays the best bulwark against the epidemic, including individual protection with repellents, destruction of breeding sites, use of electric rackets and mosquito nets.
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection, and it causes flu-like illness, and occasionally develops into a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue.
The World Health Organisation observes that the global incidence of the illness has seen a rapid increase in recent decades, WHO says that around half of the population of the world is now at the risk of this illness.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
