When Andrew Anirudh’s parents find out the official cause of his death he may well be the country's fourth dengue fatality, this after the Ministry of Health confirmed with The Student Press today that 14-year-old Showin Bando died from dengue at the San Fernando General Hospital in July. Andrew died at the same hospital on Aug 24. He was 18. Which means, of the four victims, two were teenagers.

Speaking at a press conference at the ministry's head office on Park Street, Port of Spain, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Anton Cumberbatch said they were awaiting a report on Andrew's case.

"The process to diagnose the death is not done by the hospital, the ministry conducts an international process that requires a number of things,"Cumberbatch said.

The health ministry warned of an increase in dengue cases over the next two months but said it will take steps to combat the threat, especially to youth.

"All schools will be sprayed prior to the opening of the new term," said Clive Tilluckbarry, manager of the insect vector control unit.

Yvonne Lewis, director of health education said the health ministry will also collaborate with the Ministry of Education to launch a comprehensive educational programme in schools when the new school term begins.

Some literature is currently being distributed to communities especially the most vulnerable ares of central and south Trinidad.

Saying the situation was not the same as the H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak, Cumberbatch said there was an increase in dengue outbreaks in Latin American and other Caribbean countries with alerts being issued by the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) for the first half of the year.

The CMO is advising parents not to send their children to school if they are ill with symptoms of the fever and said it would not be necessary to close and spray schools just because their students might have contracted the disease.

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