DILI, April 9, 2020 (TATOLI) – Dengue fever has claimed four lives, including three children, as the latest outbreak in Ermera district spreads to more than 100 people.
In February, authorities revealed a cluster of cases had emerged in Ermera around the beginning of the year. The Guido Valadares National Hospital (HNGV) has now recorded 117 cases from January to April. While many are in recovery, four did not survive.
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The hospital’s head of paediatrics, Breviado dos Santos, said three of the fatalities this month were children below the age of ten.
“Three children passed away due to complications from the disease,” Mr Santos told TATOLI.
Cases of the mosquito-borne virus have increased from 45 in February to 92 in March, the HNGV said. According to the hospital records, the majority of dengue patients are children between the ages of 5 and 14, with none under five years old.
During January and February, HNGV reported that the majority of dengue patients came from Ermera, followed by Dili.
“We provided them with our standard treatment, and if the children suffered serious attacks, we put them on an intravenous drip, gave them medication, and kept them under observation,” Mr Santos said.
Dengue is common in warm, tropical climates, and thrives in the rainy season, when Aedes aegypti mosquitos breed in unclean and unhealthy environments. Therefore it’s important, he said, to remove trash, cover standing water, and maintain clean homes.
Stay clean to reduce dengue: HNGV
The hospital’s head of the Emergency and Outpatient Services, Custódio Alves de Jesus, said the number of dengue cases continues to increase each year, and so attention must be paid to treatment and prevention.
“Although we are now focussing on the Covid-19 pandemic, we must also focus on dengue, as the majority of cases in the Guido Valadares National Hospital are for dengue,” Dr Jesus told TATOLI last week.
Dr Jesus therefore appealed to the community to maintain a clean and healthy environment at home.
“Dengue arises from human actions. When we do not clean the surroundings of our houses, sewers and plant pots, mosquitos can reproduce, which affects our health,” he said.
Dengue has spread rapidly in recent years, according to the World Health Organisation. Infection leads to a wide range of symptoms, from mild to severe pain, which requires hospitalisation.
Journalist: Felicidade Ximenes
Editor: Jordan Borgmann, Robert Baird, Agapito dos Santos
Translation: Nelia Borges
