Fogo recorded a cumulative total of more than 800 suspected cases and close to 500 confirmed cases by April 1

The municipality of São Filipe with 556 suspected cases and 335 confirmed cases of dengue was the one that recorded the highest percentage, followed by Mosteiros with 267 suspected cases and 139 confirmed cases and Santa Catarina do Fogo with 16 suspected cases and five confirmed cases.

The statistical data were presented on Tuesday, 2nd, at the meeting of the Municipal Health Commission of the São Filipe Health Department, which was attended by a multidisciplinary team from the National Directorate of the Ministry of Health, integrated by the coordinator of the National Program of the Fight Against Vectors, from the National Institute of Public Health and CCS AIDS.

The multidisciplinary team from the Ministry of Health arrived on the island on Monday, 1st, for a week-long visit to the three municipalities as part of the program to combat dengue.

The coordinator of the National Program for the Fight Against Vectors, António Moreira, highlighted the absence of deaths following registered cases as a positive fact.

However, he explained, “it is important” to eliminate the disease on the island and prevent more cases from being recorded because the greater number of diagnosed cases represents a greater probability of serious cases and deaths.

“We planned a visit with activities for a week in different aspects”, said António Moreira, highlighting the communicative part and proximity to the population to address the problem of dengue and the way to prevent it and put an end to this disease on the island, which according to the same, should have already been eliminated.

The visit also includes the anti-vector control part and, in the first days of the visit, the team placed some traps in the municipality of São Filipe to monitor adult mosquitoes and analyze whether or not they are contaminated and carry out the correct treatment.

Still in the municipality of São Filipe, the team helped anti-vector control agents to organize and mobilize to carry out work in the communities, in addition to working with the São Filipe Health Department.

After São Filipe, the Ministry of Health team will travel to Santa Catarina do Fogo with the same model of conduct, and end the visit in the Municipality of Mosteiros.

There, for three days, work sessions have been scheduled not only with the Health structure, but with all the entities involved, such as the chamber, associations, Red Cross and others, since dengue fever, in short, is everyone’s problem.

“The objective is to see if the disease can be completely eliminated on the island of Fogo by the end of April”, highlighted António Moreira, recognizing that it is not an easy task and requires the collaboration and participation of everyone.

The situation tends to normalize with the emergence of isolated suspected cases, both in São Filipe, which registered a suspected case last week, and in Mosteiros, which reported a suspected case on April 2nd.

“The danger generally occurs when the situation tends to improve because the authorities tend to relax and not worry about all activities,” said the same source.

The coordinator of the National Program for the Fight Against Vectors stressed that to overcome the situation it is necessary to continue together, without relaxation, and work throughout the year so that there are no cases of vector transmission on the island of Fogo.

The strategy, he explained, mainly involved a “djunta-mon” because the problem of dengue affects everyone, as it is a cross-cutting issue involving the environment, population behavior and civil construction, among others.

“Unfortunately where there is poorly maintained water we will have mosquito breeding grounds and consequently the transmission of the disease”, said António Moreira, who highlighted the work with children, showing them the entire life cycle and how mosquitoes develop, training them and giving tools that they will pass on to their parents and little by little they will improve and free themselves from this disease.

The existence of a high number of closed houses belonging to emigrants and which can function as mosquito breeding grounds because they are not sprayed, squatters, inspection of civil construction works, workshops, neighborhood cleaning are situations that the team drew attention to and asked for the chamber’s collaboration in raising awareness among emigrants about the fight against dengue.

During the meeting with the Municipal Health Commission of São Filipe, several strategies to combat dengue were analyzed, highlighting the carrying out this month of a mega cleaning campaign in urban and rural communities, with the involvement of the educational community, namely students, teachers, parents and guardians, and the community where the schools are located.