(CNS):Officials have confirmed that there were 34 cases of dengue fever reported to the authorities in 2012, which is the highest number recorded in the last thirty years. The Cayman Islands normally sees one or two cases a year and usually in patients who have travelled to endemic countries. During this past year however there were 23 local transmissions, 19 of which were residents of West Bay. In total the public health department investigated 94 potential cases of the disease, which is spread by the aedes aegypti mosquito.
Since the last government update on cases in Cayman, four new suspect cases were reported, none of which had a travel history, while 17 results came back from the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre with only three positive tests. With one case reported so far this year and the test results, which came through over the last week, there are now just nine results outstanding.
Of the 34 confirmed cases only eleven appeared to have contracted the disease in an endemic country while the remaining 23 were all infected locally. In addition to the 19 West Bay residents, two were living in George Town and two more in Bodden Town.
Some 25 people have been admitted to hospital and treated for suspected dengue with 13 of them turning out to be positive and three patients still awaiting results.
