By FELICIA RAMPERSAD Monday, December 1 2008

DESPITE claims by health officials that the number of suspected dengue cases was steadily declining, officials at the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation are disputing this, saying additional cases were being reported on an almost daily basis.

There have also been reported cases of dengue in Westmoorings with former TT Ambassador to Brazil, Robert Torry and his wife Elizabeth, contracting the disease last month. Torry said he also knew of approximately 30 dengue cases in the Westmoorings and Goodwood Park districts within the past month. “About four weeks ago, my wife and I had to spend two full days at Westshore Medical Complex. I had the normal type of the disease but my wife had the haemorrhagic fever. Westshore has had a significant number of persons with dengue,” Torry said, in an interview last week. Torry said he heard a ten-year-old girl had contracted the disease and was “in bad shape”. Despite several reports to Insect Vector Control and the Diego Martin Regional Corporation, there has not been any spraying in the area.

“I have not seen any significant spraying in the area. I called the (Health) Ministry and they said that they would follow it up but people have not seen them spraying,” Torry said.

A public health inspector, who requested anonymity, said there had been a steady decline in the number of reported cases.

“A month ago, we were getting about 20 calls per week. Now it has dwindled to about four to five calls. There is a decline in suspected cases of dengue,” he said.

Sources at San Fernando General Hospital said there was a decrease in the number of dengue cases. “At one time, we got about 15 to 20 people with dengue per day, but now the numbers are decreasing,” the source said.

But chairman of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation, Dr Allan Sammy, said that last Thursday he had been informed of three suspected cases in Clarke Road, Penal. Sammy said there were cases all over the district and there was no decline.

Kavita Maharaj, of Clarke Road, Penal, said her three-year-old son had tested positive for dengue. Maharaj and her one-year-old daughter, who also experienced similar symptoms, were to be tested over the weekend at Gulf View Medical Centre, La Romaine.

The worried mother said officials promised to spray the area over the weekend.