Haiti’s Mirebalais University Hospital (HUM) recorded 40 cases of extreme fever over the weekend, with 11 confirmed cases of dengue fever so far, according to Dr Christophe Millien, chief physician at HUM. Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease that occurs in tropical and subtropical regions. Symptoms can include high fever, rash and muscle and joint pain. In severe cases, there is severe internal bleeding and shock, which can be fatal. The best way to avoid catching dengue fever is to prevent mosquito bites. Treatment consists of providing hydration and analgesics. Severe cases require hospital care.
Millien has begun working closely with his team to prepare a community response action plan.
“Considering that there is currently an outbreak of dengue in the Dominican Republic, it has probably already spread throughout our territory,” he says.
The viral disease has already spread to many rural areas of the Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti. Communities in the Dominican province of Elias Pina, neighboring Mirebalais, are most at risk.
“We plan to go into communities in Mirebalais and raise awareness through radio and TV stations,” explains Millien.
The team will also distribute mosquito nets to help with prevention. “We are currently monitoring all cases of fever at HUM and have set up rapid tests so we can diagnose symptoms very quickly,” he says. “I’ve also started training HUM staff on the appropriate ways to deal with this problem.” It’s been more than four years since several cases of dengue fever were recorded in most of Haiti, whereas 3,500 cases were identified in the Dominican Republic at the time. The difference may also indicate a nuance in the two countries’ abilities to systematically screen for the disease.
HUM is a 205,000-square-foot, 330-bed teaching hospital, which opened in March 2013 in partnership with the Haitian Ministry of Health (MSPP) and filled a gap for people with limited access to quality healthcare. HUM receives over 1,250 outpatient consultations a day and serves a population of 1.3 million. Ten years after its opening, with highly qualified medical staff like Millien and his team, HUM remains determined to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those who need it most, and to serve as an antidote to despair.