Although there may be concern in society about the chikungunya outbreak, it is not the case that this disease causes death. Internist-infectiologist Stephen Vreden reassures society that the disease is almost never fatal. According to him, the fact that it was recently announced that someone had died from the disease should be properly investigated: it must be determined whether the death was caused by the disease itself or by other factors.
According to the doctor, this is different with dengue, which claims more victims. He said this in the program The Table from Suriname Herald and Rasonic TV. He was a guest there with colleague Lycke Woittiez. Both discussed the developments surrounding this virus, which is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
It is difficult to say whether this is a major outbreak and how many people have been affected by the disease, according to Vreden. Various agencies are trying to gauge the number of infections. The specialist indicated that contamination with chikungunya is detrimental to both citizens and society. The individual suffers from pain that can last for days and is therefore unable to perform work. This can be noticeable in education, because both teachers and students can be absent for long periods of time.
The last chikungunya outbreak in Suriname was in 2014, when thousands of cases were recorded. According to Vreden, an advantage is that people who were infected at the time have built up antibodies and may have less to worry about in this wave. According to the internist-infectiologist, it is difficult to determine how this wave will develop.
According to Woittiez, it is possible that the current outbreak started because someone from outside was infected. There has been no chikungunya outbreak in Suriname in recent years. What is also happening now is that there are many flu cases in the country. The experts explain that society can contribute by keeping the environment clean, so that mosquitoes do not have a chance to lay eggs.
