This
communicable diseases digest offers a summary of
incidence rates for the Ministry of
Health's epidemiological week 17. It draws on weekly data retrieved through the
Belize Health Information System (BHIS) which seeks to improve
individual health outcomes and
public health performance as well as to optimize
resource utilization. Using graphics, national, seasonal and weekly
trends are compared for the following Acute
Respiratory Infections (ARIs), a leading
cause of death among
children under the age of five; Severe Acute
Respiratory Infections (SARIs), which have the potential for large scale
epidemics;
Gastrointestinal Diseases;
Vector Borne Diseases;
Sexually Transmitted Infections (
STIs); and Other
Communicable Diseases/
Outbreaks/
Public Health related incidents.