WILLEMSTAD - The Court of Audit of Curaçao has handed over a report called 'Preparedness for Dengue' to parliament. The report contains several recommendations, but also concludes that Curaçao is not sufficiently prepared for an outbreak of diseases related to the Arbovirus, such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya.
Curaçao has had several cases of viral infections in the past ten years. In 2015, in connection with the then prevailing chikungunya wave, parliament requested the Court of Audit to conduct an investigation at the Ministry of Health, Environment and Nature.
Research has been conducted into the measures taken to prevent and limit the spread of the chikungunya virus. In addition, the way in which a possible outbreak should be dealt with was also examined.
Due to the current developments surrounding dengue and other arboviral diseases and the need to moderate the outbreak of the dengue virus in the region, as reported by the PAHO, the Court of Audit calls for action.
The investigation shows that the government has implemented only three recommendations from the 2015 report. Based on this, according to the Court of Audit, it can be concluded that Curaçao is not prepared for a new outbreak of dengue, Zika or chikungunya.