Aedes aegypti mosquito
By Charles Gladden
BRLIZE DISTRICT, Mon. Aug. 11, 2025
Amandala has confirmed that there is an outbreak of dengue that is ongoing in the Belize District, which has led to the death of a female.
The illness was highlighted in previous editions of Amandala, where there was an estimated three times the normal number of dengue cases having been treated at the national referral hospital, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City.
The average number of dengue cases would be around 90 during its peak; however, the figures stand above 160 this year.
Hon. Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health.
“Unfortunately, we have had an increase in the hospital stays at KHMH because of dengue, and we’re hoping that it doesn’t lead to more serious issues,” said Hon. Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health.
As a result of the high number of cases, it has led to a woman losing her life to the illness; however, Minister Bernard noted that an autopsy is scheduled to be done to determine whether the disease was combined with other complications leading to her death.
“Initially, her test result was that she was positive for dengue. But we are also ascertaining that that’s the reason why the team at KHMH has requested an autopsy, which I understand is going to be done this week, to determine whether or not the person died because of the complication of dengue, or if any other serious complications may have caused her death,” he said.
Dengue is caused by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which appears more frequently at the start of the wet season, and its breeding ground is created with stagnant water. According to Minister Bernard, the ministry has added extra manpower to combat the illness to reduce infections.
“We had to hire temporary workers immediately. I think we’ve got about eight temporary workers to go in to assist the Vector team in the Belize District, so that we could get spraying done. We are also putting out ads. We are also doing house-to-house campaigns to ensure that people are aware that dengue can be prevented. We encourage people to get rid of containers holding water, tires, and old things in their yards. But at the same time, the ministry is doing its best to ensure that we can keep on spraying in the Belize District area,” he said.
People with dengue may experience a wide range of symptoms, like a high fever, headache, joint pain, and loss of appetite, which can show within 4-10 days after infection. It is recommended that infected persons take Tylenol every 4 hours for the headache brought on by the fever, along with a bath to bring down the fever, and stay hydrated.
