By LARA PICKFORD-GORDON Thursday, January 22 2009

Although the Health Ministry’s 2008 end of year dengue report stated that there were 100 cases of dengue confirmed by the Trinidad Public Health Laboratory (PHL), the Pan American Health Organisation data on dengue for 2008 lists 206 “lab confirmed” cases up to week 37–September.

The data at the site was updated October 26, 2008.

According to the “Number of Reported Cases of Dengue and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever in the Americas by Country: Figures for 2008 (to week noted by each country)” on PAHO’s website TT had 2,366 clinical cases of dengue, eight cases of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever and Dengue Shock Syndrome and three deaths. The incidence rate on the PAHO site was the same figure provided by the Ministry of 182/100,000 population. Dengue Type II and III were circulating last year.

The figures for the English speaking Caribbean were provided to PAHO by the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC).

Health Minister Jerry Narace was asked to comment on the discrepancy yesterday after the formal opening of the La Romaine Health Centre.

He said whatever information was given in the report was compiled by the Chief Medical Officer Dr Anton Cumberbatch. Narace directed Newsday to Cumberbatch for comment.

However, on Wednesday Newsday sent an e-mail to the Health Ministry via its communications department with questions on the issue but comment was not immediately available and there was no response yesterday.

The Ministry’s statistics have raised questions from some quarters and one medical practitioner questioned how the Ministry could rely only on confirmatory testing from the PHL.

“Only 100 samples reached the PHL?”

The doctor said the Ministry provided test kits for dengue and hospital laboratories verified the tests.

He said a positive IGM indicated antibodies against dengue and was used for diagnosis and treatment while the positive IGG test indicated exposure to dengue in the past.

“For the positive cases we only count the positive IGM, regardless of the IGG.”

The doctor said the PHL took between six and eight weeks to send back the results from tests.

Another doctor who saw the report described it as “superficial” and lacking analysis.

He referred to the Health Minister Jerry Narace’s statement last year that there were no deaths and this view was later revised.

The doctor noted that the Ministry’s comparison of six-year cycle periods provided a percentage for confirmed reports but not a percentage for the deaths.

He said if the Ministry had provided percentage of deaths it would indicate that for 1997-2002 of the reported deaths –95 or 23 percent (22) were confirmed while for 2003-2008 of the 11 reported deaths, 54 percent (6) were confirmed.

The report stated that for 1997-2002 there were 17,233 reported dengue fever cases and 1,308 or 7.59 percent confirmed.

Between 2003-2008 there were 8,534 reported dengue fever cases and 333 or 3.90 percent were confirmed.