Dengue continues to sweep through the Caribbean

Two men have died of Dengue Hemmorhagic Fever in next door Martinique, and the mosquito borne illness is now found in St Maarten's and St Bart's as it spreds through the islands. Malarial risk is also up in the Caribbean.

Dominica has Dengue on the island, but I have not heard of Malaria here yet.

Eliminate pooling water, wear your DEET, and read our Environmental Health Officer's blog at The Woodshed Environment to keep informed of what is happening with these issues. There is a wealth of information on his site.

Take a moment to view the Dengue Poster that Martinique is handing out to departing visitors. Scary.

livingdominica: once you have seen someone ill with Dengue, you know to avoid it at all costs.

Kick ’em Jenny, My Namesake

Image of Kick 'em Jenny by NOAA



I love the name "Kick 'em Jenny". As a person sometimes called Jenny, I take pride that the newest island in the neighborhood, rising from the Caribbean, is called Jenny. They say this underwater volcano was named after the rough surrounding seas, but that makes as much sense as it being named after my evil temper, doesn't it? So, I am claiming she was named for me. I always wanted a namesake volcano. And Roger says I deserve it.

Of course we won't be buying beach front property any time soon. It would take a year of steady eruption or thousands of years with intermittent activity to reach the surface. Still, she is active enough to have her rumblings recorded way up north on Martinique, and shipping lanes carefully avoid her. After all, she is the most active volcano in the Antilles chain.

Jenny lies off the coast of Grenada and made her presence known in 1939 with an eruption creating a 900 foot plume above the ocean surface. That event also produced a wave large enough to wash over the west coast road in Barbados, although at the time it was not recognized as a tsunami. She has erupted at least twelve times since 1939, the last major event occurring in 2001.

Scientists just installed underwater seismographic devices to keep a closer eye on Jenny's activity. Read about it at Scientists to Monitor Submarine Volcano in SE Caribbean Sea.

livingdominica AKA Kick 'em Jenny