It can take up to two weeks for the Ministry of Health to confirm dengue fever diagnoses and deaths.

The Ministry today said its dengue count is based on patients who are admitted to hospital with suspected dengue fever, or where a patient with suspected dengue dies. “When an individual is admitted to the hospital with suspected Dengue Fever, a blood sample is collected for testing to confirm the presence of the virus. In cases where a patient with suspected Dengue Fever passes away, a sample is also taken for confirmation.”

In these cases, blood samples are sent to the Trinidad Public Health Lab, and then to CARPHA for analysis. “All samples, whether from suspected Dengue cases or fatalities, are sent to the Trinidad Public Health Laboratory (TPHL), which conveys the samples to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) laboratory, for analysis. The testing process can have a turnaround time of up to two weeks. Therefore, the Ministry of Health can only confirm Dengue cases and deaths once a positive laboratory result is received from CARPHA.”

And their figures are updated only when CARPHA gives the feedback.

Up to yesterday, the Ministry’s official dengue count was 666 cases and six deaths.

Therefore, it seems these figures do not include those patients using private doctors and labs to confirm dengue.

And there have been concerns about he long turnaround time for the public system to confirm the dengue results.

The Ministry is urging persons to seek medical attention quickly if they have any of the warning signs for Dengue Fever.

Warning signs for Dengue includes:

Drop in body temperature
Intense and continuous abdominal pain
Bleeding from gums or nose, blood in vomit, urine or stool
Persistent vomiting
Dizziness

The public is reminded that Dengue Fever may be spread by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito.  Symptoms appear within 5-6 days of being bitten, last for 1-2 weeks and can include: