The Bahamas government has denied reports that a 17-year-old student had died from dengue fever over the last weekend.
Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said investigations are continuing into the death of Chykino “Kenny” Thompson after the Central Eleuthera High School student died on Sunday.
He said officials would perform toxicology tests on Chykino, but his mother said he had tested positive for dengue fever and had been prescribed Motrin.
But Darville said he had been informed that a doctor had attended to Chykino, and that “they thought he had an upper respiratory tract infection or viral phenomena.”
He said the student was sent home from school on Friday.
“Usually, with these viral illnesses, you stay away from aspirin or any ibuprofen. There is no shortage of medicines as it relates to upper respiratory tract infections,” Darville said, adding that a 30-year-old woman is the only one confirmed positive case of dengue in Eleuthera.
The Bahamas has so far recorded 168 confirmed dengue cases, most of them in New Providence. The country has so far recorded one death from the dengue fever.
Dengue cases on the rise in the Caribbean
Several Caribbean nations including Jamaica, Guyana, Bahamas, and St. Vincent have seen a rise in dengue cases since the start of the summer.
Read more on dengue in the Caribbean:
- Jamaica records one dengue-related death
- Dengue claims lives of school children in Guyana
- Dengue fever cases reported in St Vincent and the Grenadines
Earlier, the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) encouraged countries in the Caribbean and South America to review their preparedness and response plans, as well as continue surveillance, early diagnosis, and timely care of dengue and other arbovirus cases, in order to prevent severe cases and deaths associated with these diseases.
So far, one person has died of the infection in Jamaica, while in Guyana, two children succumbed to dengue infections.
