9-Year-Old In Martinique Succumbs To Dengue Fever

A 9-year-old boy died of Dengue fever this week in neighbouring Martinique.

According to local reports, the child attended the Petite-Anse school in Anses-d’Arlet where Mayor Eugène Larcher announced the establishment of a unit to provide psychological support to the students and teachers.

In late August, Martinique’s prefecture announced that the French-speaking Caribbean Island had entered the epidemic phase of the mosquito-borne disease.

As a result, there was a significant mobilisation to destroy mosquito breeding sites.

Since the beginning of 2023, Martinique health authorities have identified over 3,000 cases suggestive of Dengue.

The municipalities reporting the highest rates are Anses-d’Arlet, Carbet, Diamant, Saint-Pierre and Trois-Îlets.

In light of the spike in Dengue fever cases in Martinique and other neighbouring countries, Saint Lucia’s Health Ministry has stepped up its prevention and control programmes.

The measures include on-the-ground school surveillance to identify and eliminate active and potential mosquito breeding sites.

The Health Ministry has also conducted fogging operations targeting adult mosquitoes to ensure students are safe and comfortable in the school environment.