Health officials announced a dengue fever outbreak in the territory Friday, with a confirmed nine out of 19 suspected cases in the St. Thomas-St. John district alone.
There are four suspected cases on St. Croix, but none have been confirmed.
The announcement comes on the heels of several unconfirmed reports of dengue-related deaths across the territory, which, according to a recent ABC News wire report, mirrors conditions throughout the region.
The article says that a U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) statement confirms 20 people have died from dengue on Puerto Rico, while officials are currently investigating another 12 or so related deaths, along with more than 11,600 suspected cases. The CDC has also confirmed 28 cases of hemorrhagic dengue, a more serious form of the virus, which has also popped up in the V.I.
Symptoms of dengue include persistent headache, joint and muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. More complicated cases can result in hemorrhagic fever, which is characterized by high fever, bleeding and circulatory failure, which in rare instances can lead to death, according to a V.I. Health Department statement.
St. Thomas neurologist Dr. David D. Weisher told the Source in a phone interview Thursday that he currently has one patient under his care at Schneider Regional Medical Center who has hemorrhagic dengue “for sure” and another patient that is a probable case.
Health announced its first confirmed case of dengue back in June and since then has ramped up its education campaign to remind residents of the precautions they can take against the virus. But the issue, officials said, has been that local physicians aren’t reporting the cases they see in their offices to the department, which is required by law.
"This has the effect of making it difficult to effectively confirm the level of transmission of the active dengue virus," Health Epidemiologist Dr. Eugene Tull said Friday. Tull added that laboratory tests from the CDC confirmed that cases seen in the territory this year are the same type seen on St. Croix in 2005.
Dengue fever can be caused by four different viruses: Dengue 1, Dengue 2, Dengue 3 and Dengue 4. Tull said Dengue 2 is circulating on St. Thomas and St. John, and urged residents experiencing any symptoms to seek immediate care.
If not, the virus can lead to death, officials said.
All medical agencies, clinics and private physicians territory-wide are required to report any dengue cases to Health at 773-1311, ext. 3241. To report large pools of stagnant water, contact the Environmental Health Division on St. Croix at 773-1311, ext. 3109 and on St. Thomas at 774-9000, ext. 4641 or dial 715-5111.
For more information on dengue fever, residents can also visit the Health Department website.
