Another person is dead, on Sint Maarten; Dengue blamed (updated March 26 with the latest figures)

A 59-year-old Dutch Sint Maarten man is dead and is to blame.  St. Martin News Network (SMN News) ascribes this information to Collective Preventive Services (CPS) of Sint Maarten’s Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour.

The Guana Bay resident was pronounced dead January 20, 2011, four days after being admitted to the Sint Maarten Medical Center Emergency Room for reasons other than Dengue.   SMN gave no explanation regarding the patient’s initial diagnosis and how the case investigation played out.

What is for certain is that the death was put down to Dengue by the health authorities and Vector Control personnel responded by carrying out inspections of the Guana Bay neighbourhood where a number of mosquito breeding places were found and eliminated.

The CPS report placed the total number of laboratory tests done on the Dutch side at the time to 21.  The final figure for the month of January is still not available.  However, the 4 Laboratory Confirmed Cases (including that of the Guana Bay man) that SMN reported in January remained unchanged, if a Daily Herald story of March 21, 2011, based on a recent CPS advisory, is to be believed.

The Daily Herald is also saying that 10 more cases were recorded on the island in February, 7 on the Dutch side and 3 on the French.   The advisory goes on to make a request of physicians to be vigilant in their diagnosis of Dengue; and the public not to let up in their efforts at controlling the Aedes aegypti mosquito, not only on their premises but around their neighbourhoods.