The Martinique authorities called on the population on Tuesday to mobilize to fight the dengue epidemic that is actively circulating on the island. “It is imperative that everyone understands that you have to work to control your environment to eliminate (l) breeding grounds for larvae,” declared Manuel Etienne, director of the Center for Mosquito Control and Entomological Research, during a joint press conference with the Regional Directorate of Health. Agency, the prefecture and the Territorial Collectivity of Martinique.
Without specific treatment, the fight against dengue depends on fighting the Aedes Aegypti mosquito (a different species from the tiger mosquito present in France), the vector of the disease on the island.
Preventing the water from stagnating, changing the water in the vases to avoid the reproduction of the mosquito or protecting yourself with long clothes and repellents are good gestures remembered on Tuesday by the authorities.
“The goal is to have as few patients as possible because we are in an extremely humid period,” said Laurence Gola de Monchy, secretary general of the Martinique prefecture, as the island entered its epidemic phase on August 17. .
The young public “is not at all immune”
Of the 34 municipalities on the island, 27 are affected by arbovirosis. According to Santé Public France, Martinique is currently affected by the DENV2 serotype, one of the four types of the dengue virus.
“The last major crisis related to DENV2 dates back more than 10 years,” recalled Laurence Gola de Monchy, specifying that “the young public born after 2013-2014 was by no means immune to this viral strain.”
Dengue is characterized by high fever (40°C), intense headaches, retro-orbital pain, muscle and joint pain, nausea and vomiting, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The hemorrhagic form of the disease represents “about 1% of dengue cases worldwide and is extremely serious,” says Public Health of the French Antilles. The previous dengue epidemic in Martinique lasted from 2019 to 2021. During this period, more than 33,000 cases and 17 deaths were recorded.
Source: BFM TV
