There have been three malaria cases recorded in Trinidad and Tobago for the year.

That revelation came from Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh during this afternoon’s sitting of the House of Representatives. The Health Minister further disclosed that for 2021, there were nine malaria cases, with 14 cases recorded in 2022 and 11 in 2023.

On Thursday, it was confirmed that a pregnant non-national was in isolation at the Port of Spain General Hospital, being treated for the infectious disease.

On Friday, during the Urgent Questions segment of the Parliamentary sitting, Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh questioned the Health Minister about what he labelled a “malaria outbreak”. His verbiage was immediately condemned by the Health Minister.

“Trinidad and Tobago has enjoyed a malaria free status as determined as World Health Organization since 1965. To tell the int community that there is a malaria outbreak is nothing more than unpatriotic,” the Health Minister challenged.  

As cross-talk erupted in the Chamber, House Speaker Brigid Annisette George instructed both the Prime Minister and the MP for Couva South, Rudranath Indarsingh to apologize for their behaviour.

“I humbly apologize to you and my colleagues but enough is enough,” Dr. Rowley offered.

MP Indarsingh followed, “Madam Speaker, I apologize but I will not be accused of lying, in the public’s interest”.

Minister Deyalsingh resorted to repeating the case count over the past three years, which he said was a baseline or normal level of infection.

“That gives you an average of 11 cases per year, how on earth could that be an outbreak? Let me further state that speaking to the experts, most if not all of the malaria cases are what you call imported cases. That is, people go abroad to malaria endemic cases…and bring (it) back to Trinidad and Tobago,” he ended.