Reports of dengue on Bonaire have been confirmed.
First Quarter of 2024 Update: There have been 179 cases on Bonaire. Please follow the steps below to protect yourselves.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been six confirmed cases of dengue on Bonaire, according to the Public Health Department. There is not an outbreak yet, but it is important that citizens take measures to prevent the spread of dengue. People become infected by a bite from the dengue mosquito. The Public Health Department calls on people not to give the dengue mosquito the opportunity to lay eggs in stagnant water. The advice is to throw away stagnant water from objects in and around the house.
The Public Health Department also calls on citizens to ensure that they do not get bitten by the dengue mosquito. This can be done, for example, by using an anti-mosquito spray with DEET. On some islands in the Caribbean, there are outbreaks of dengue. The Public Health Department urges all citizens to prevent an outbreak on Bonaire.
Preventing bites:
- Lubricate your body with an ointment containing DEET
- Use a spray with DEET in it and spray it on your body
- Wear light-colored clothes that cover your body well
- Use insect screens or screens at home
- Keep the windows and doors tightly closed
- Always sleep under a mosquito net
- Use a mosquito repellent spray to keep the rooms mosquito-free
Preventing an increase in the number of dengue mosquitoes:
Clear away any items with standing water in them around the house, such as
- plastic containers
- car tires
- bottles
- cans
- cover containers/barrels containing rainwater with a cloth and place an elastic band or quick-tie around the cloth
Steps taken when a confirmed case is reported.
General practitioners and laboratories report cases of dengue to the Public Health Department. After a report, the Public Health Department will contact the infected person. This person receives tips and advice from the department. An inspector from the department then makes a home visit to the person. The task of the inspectors is, among other things, to eradicate breeding grounds of the dengue mosquito. Therefore, they check whether there are breeding grounds near the sick person’s home. If so, the breeding grounds will be treated.
Do you need advice or help for storing rainwater in barrels or cisterns? Are you bothered by numerous mosquitoes? Please call the Public Health Department at 715-5324. For more information about dengue, visit https://bonairegov.com/muggen.
(Source: OLB)
