188 'officially diagnosed' with Dementia in VI- Hon Vincent O. Wheatley

ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- One hundred and eighty-eight persons in the Virgin Islands have been diagnosed with Dementia; however, the true figure could be much higher, according to Minister for Health and Social Development Hon Vincent O. Wheatley (R9).

In his message for World Alzheimer’s Month, Hon Wheatley said through the National Health Insurance (NHI) database, the Virgin Islands Alzheimer’s Association found that 188 persons in the Virgin Islands have been officially diagnosed with Dementia.

He added that data statistics from Alzheimer’s Disease International estimate that, worldwide, 75 percent of Dementia cases go undiagnosed.

“Therefore, it can be reasonably estimated that the number of persons living with Dementia in the territory goes above 300 ,” Hon Wheatley reasoned.