The number of patients that have succumbed to leptospirosis and dengue fever is regrettable but each patient must be viewed individually based on past medical history and medical care.
Minister for Health Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu stated this in response to questions from fijivillage News after statistics were released by the Ministry that 7 people died from leptospirosis and 3 from dengue this year.
Dr Lalabalavu has reiterated that numbers are meaningless without understanding the full background of each respective case.
He says the numbers in the thousands is cumulative and it is important to note that most or majority who have been diagnosed with acute febrile (fever) illness, dengue or leptospirosis have been treated successfully both clinically and conservatively.
The Minister says that is why as a Ministry, they work holistically to ensure that not only the clinical aspects of care is inundated but at the same time they scale up their efforts on the preventative aspects of the outbreak.
He says any disease outbreak will always put a strain on the healthcare system.
Dr Lalabalavu says for now, as we are into the flu season, they are aware that healthcare systems will be challenged in terms of service delivery but more or majority of patients are recovering and surviving.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection caused by the bacteria Leptospira and people are infected by coming into contact with the urine of infected animals, such as rodents, dogs, and farm animals, or contaminated water, soil, or food.
Symptoms can range from mild, flu-like illness to severe, life-threatening complications like kidney or liver failure. Common symptoms include fever, headache, chills, muscle aches, and red eyes.
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne illness that occurs in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Mild dengue fever causes a high fever and flu-like symptoms.
The severe form of dengue fever, also called dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause serious bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) and death.
