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What is expected to happen?
Since ending March 2022, Sao Tome & Principe (STP) has recorded cases of fever that have been severe with respect to frequency and clinical characteristics. On 11 April 2022, the laboratory of the central hospital reported a suspected case of dengue fever to clinical officials, triggering as such implementation of epidemiological and entomological surveillance protocols. On the same day, the Ayres Central Hospital in Menezes reported a positive case of dengue fever to officials at the Epidemiological Surveillance Department (DVE in Portuguese). The reported case was a 27-year-old Sao Tomean, whose place of residence is Portugal and works on the island of Guadeloupe. He reportedly arrived on leave with his family on 26 March 2022. He started having symptoms (fever, headaches, and joint pain) on 4 April 2022.
Initially treated at the Mezochi (Trindade) health centre, he was referred to the main central hospital because of persisting fever.
As of 25 April, there were 28 cases distributed across the country’s 5 health districts: Mezochi (6), Agua Grande (18), Cantagalo (1), Lobata (2) and the Autonomous Region of Principe (1). Most of the cases were recorded in the Agua Grande (64.29%) and Mezochi (21.4%) health districts. The 8 patients who were treated and recovered came from the health districts of Mezochi (5), Agua Grande (2) and Cantagalo where the patient management capacity is still limited.
On 13 May 2022, the Ministry of Public Health of Sao-Tome-and-Principe reported the dengue epidemic in Sao Tome-and-Principe to the WHO. This is the country’s first Dengue epidemic, involving up to 7 clusters. To date, 980 cases of dengue fever have been reported, including a major spike in the number of cases recorded between week 22 and week 26 in over five epicentre districts. It is rainy season in Sao Tome; no deaths reported though. The most recent SITREP newsletter issued by the STP Ministry of Public Health shows that cases are distributed as stated in the following table.
As of 26 August 2022, confirmed cases in each health district were distributed as follows: Agua Grande 679, Lobata 86, Mezochi 136, Cantagalo 40, RAP 12, Caue 11, Lemba 16. Representing, as of 26 August 2022, a total number of cases: 980. Since the spike in cases that occurred between mid-April and midMay, the number of cases under the epidemic has stabilised significantly with most cases treated and only 10 active cases in 4 districts out of 7: Agua Grande 4, Lobata 2, Mezochi 2, Caue 2.