St. Vincent and the Grenadines has recorded 655 cases of Dengue Fever and 6 deaths, up to Tuesday 6th October 2020.
The announcement was made by Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves while speaking on NBC radio 705 on Wednesday morning.
He said that there is an even spread of cases between men and women.
The most highly infected areas are Pembroke, capital city Kingstown, and Calliaqua, the least infected areas is the Grenadines.
Measures to manage the surge in demand for care have been implemented and include increased nurses, doctors and beds.
The Pharmaceutical Services Programme has now concluded that papaya leaf extract can be used to safely augment the care for patients with Symptoms of Dengue Fever include fever, headache with pain behind the eyes, a rash, abdominal pain, vomiting and bleeding.
Home treatments for dengue fever should focus on reducing the fever by using cool not cold baths, acetaminophen (paracetamol) not ibuprofen, papaya leaf extract and maintaining hydration by drinking a lot of fluids such a coconut water.
Persons with symptoms of Dengue Fever are reminded of the importance of seeking medical care very early in the course of their illness to avoid the possible complications of delayed care.