St. Joseph Mercy Hospital yesterday said that no one has died from the mosquito-borne Chikungunya at the institution, a day after reports circulating in the media suggested a patient died from the virus.
On Wednesday, Stabroek News received information that the son of the Carvil Duncan, a trade unionist, 39 year-old Cordel, died at the hospital from the mosquito-borne disease.
However, when the hospital was contacted a reliable source confirmed that there had been no death from the disease and no such cases were admitted.
Carvil Duncan also confirmed that his son did not die of the disease.
According to reports Duncan’s son had returned from St. Lucia, where the disease has spread, and became ill.
So far, there have been 14 confirmed cases where persons tested positive for the virus. All the confirmed cases originate in Berbice. An additional 82 suspected cases were identified by the New Amsterdam Hospital.
This resulted in the Ministry heightening its Vector Control Services (VCS) in the region, placing emphasis on fogging and spraying.
Chikungunya has been raising alarm in the Caribbean since it was first detected in the eastern Caribbean late last year. The virus, which is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, causes severe joint pains, headaches, spiking fevers, muscle pains and vomiting. The symptoms, which surface four to seven days after infection, mimic those of dengue fever.
Traces of the virus have been detected in Anguilla, Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, St. Barthelemy, Sint Maarten, and St. Martin.
