SURINAME – Officials from the Public Health Bureau (BOG) on Tuesday reported 39 confirmed Chikungunya cases. “This means that it is now officially an epidemic,” said Maureen Wijngaarde-Van Dijk, deputy director at the BOG. The number of cases jumped from 31 to 39 within 3 weeks. An epidemic is defined as an occurrence of more cases of disease than expected in a given area or among a specific group of people over a particular period of time.

“This is an epidemic because this is the first time that Suriname is being confronted with this virus,” said Wijngaarde. The deputy director compared the chikungunya epidemic to dengue. She explained that officials speak of a dengue epidemic when the number of cases is higher than the figures from the same period from previous years. Dengue already existed in Suriname but  chikungunya did not. The BOG received reports that indicate that kids from three schools located in the Commewijne District are infected with this virus. A physician from the RGD in Commewijne has reported these cases to the BOG. The doctor has already given medical treatment to these kids.  Wijngaarde pointed out that the kids live at Tamanredjo and that most of the confirmed  cases are from this region. The environment inspectors from the BOG are currently spraying the region to prevent the disease from spreading. The BOG is also inspecting the three schools.

Wijngaarde explained that the 39 people have been hospitalized. Officials do not rule out the possibility that more people are infected with this virus but that they did not have to be hospitalized. Wijngaarde pointed out that people must take the necessary precautions to contain the virus such as sleeping under a mosquito net.