Dengue in Australia 2009

[Gert van der Hoek]

Dengue fever cases confirmed

Friday, 30 March 2007. 13:35

Three cases of dengue fever have been confirmed in the twin cities.

A woman from Cranbrook and two people from South Townsville have type 3 dengue fever and several others from South Townsville are being tested.

Authorities are now urging residents to rid their backyards of possible breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Senior medical entomologist with Townsville's Tropical Population Health Unit, Gerhard Ehlers, says traps are being put in houses within a 100 metre radius of where it is believed the infection occurred in South Townsville.

He says people should wear insect repellent, use mozzie zappers and coils and throw out any old tyres, buckets or pot plant bases that may collect water.

"A very important message is if you stop the mosquito breeding, we can stop the disease," he said.

"So once a week they should walk around the garden and empty any receptacles."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200703/1885679.htm?queensland

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Wednesday, April 4, 2007. 1:33pm (AEST)

Fifth dengue fever case confirmed

More houses in South Townsville are to be inspected for mosquito breeding spots after confirmation that a fifth person has been infected with dengue fever.

A woman in Cranbrook and four people in South Townsville now have the disease.

The senior medical entomologist with Townsville's Tropical Population Health Unit, Gerhard Ehlers, says the control area has been extended to encompass houses within a 400 metre radius of where the initial infection occurred.

He says local residents have been cooperative.

"The reception from all the people so far has been very good, people have been cooperating and the yards have been drier than expected, I think it's the lack of rainfall so we've been lucky in that respect that's it's been very dry so there haven't been as many sites as anticipated originally," Mr Ehlers said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1889676.htm

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Australia: locally transmitted cases of dengue fever in Qld

Australia: locally transmitted cases of dengue fever in Qld

Two dengue fever cases confirmed in Qld

February 7, 2008 -

Two locally transmitted cases of dengue fever have been confirmed in north Queensland.

Queensland Health has confirmed two people at Mossman, near Port Douglas, have acquired the disease.

The most recent outbreak of dengue in the region was when 498 people were infected around Cairns between 1997 and 1999.

Dengue fever is transmitted by specific mosquitoes and found in tropical areas around the world.

There is no medical cure for the disease and no vaccine.

The serious form of the disease, Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever, can be fatal, especially in young children.

Symptoms of dengue include fever, headache, rash, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea and fatigue.

Queensland Health medical entomologist Dr Scott Ritchie said the cases should remind residents to get rid of mosquito breeding sites around their homes.

"If you stop the mosquito breeding, you can stop the disease," Dr Ritchie said.

Residents are advised to rid their homes of buckets, pot plants and blocked roof gutters that collect water, and to use mosquito repellants and sprays.

People who experience dengue symptoms are urged to see a doctor immediately.

http://news.theage.com.au/two-dengue-fever-cases-confirmed-in-qld/20080207-1qup.html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

december 1, 2008

More far north dengue fever cases expected


Health authorities expect there will be more cases of dengue fever in Cairns, in far north Queensland, after two people were diagnosed with the mosquito-borne disease.

An outbreak has been declared, with the Tropical Population Health Service also investigating another five suspected cases.

Medical entomologist Dr Scott Ritchie says the infections are centred in the Cairns north area.

"The worrisome thing about this is it's in an area of older housing and with the rains that we've had in the last fortnight, we suspect there's a fair amount of mosquito breeding going on in the area," he said.

It is four years since the last outbreak of dengue fever in Cairns, when 29 people fell ill.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/01/2434429.htm

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Dengue fever bites Cairns

Fri Dec 12 2008

Cairns residents have been warned to guard against mosquitoes following an outbreak of dengue fever.

Doctors are urging people to guard against mosquitoes after a spate of more than two dozen dengue fever cases in north Queensland.

Of the 26 cases of dengue fever type three since November, two cases have required hospitalisation.

The most serious form of the disease, dengue haemorrhagic fever, can be fatal, especially in young children.

Cairns hasn't seen an outbreak since 2006, when 29 people were infected with dengue type two.

Queensland Health has carried out a dengue blitz in homes and businesses inspecting yards and setting traps to kill dengue mosquitoes.

"Cairns residents need to take immediate action to help prevent further dengue cases," Tropical Population Health Services (TPHS) entomologist Dr Scott Ritchie said.

People experiencing symptoms such as fever, headache, rash, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, and fatigue should seek medical help, Dr Ritchie said.

While there is no cure or vaccine available, doctors advise that people can help rid the disease by preventing mosquito breeding.

Common breeding sites include tyres, buckets, toys, pot plant bases and roof gutters.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=696153

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2008/12/13/19775_local-news.html

Dengue outbreak
Jennifer Eliot
Saturday, December 13, 2008
? The Cairns Post

THE number of Cairns residents struck down with dengue fever has skyrocketed, less than a fortnight after Queensland Health declared an outbreak.

Figures released last night show there have now been 30 cases of the disease, after two confirmed cases at Manoora and Portsmith.

The dengue alert was first raised on December 2. Two people have been taken to hospital with the disease and Queensland Heath's Tropical Population Health Services Medical Entomologist Scott Ritchie said the outbreak was starting to show worrying signs.

Twenty-nine people were infected in the last dengue outbreak in Cairns in 2006.

"People first started getting sick in early November, but of all confirmed cases, almost 75 per cent of them have become ill in just the last three weeks," he said.

"That is a sharp increase in the number of cases, especially considering there were 22 cases in the Port Douglas outbreak earlier this year, over a longer time period.

"Combine that with the fact that the outbreak has now stretched to both sides of Sheridan St in Cairns North, and possibly to other suburbs, including Whitfield and Clifton Beach, then this is quickly becoming a notable outbreak."

Dr Ritchie said it was vital that Cairns residents took immediate steps to prevent themselves from being bitten by mosquitoes and from the outbreak escalating.

Cairns City Council environmental assessment manager Laurie Pipps said council crews were patrolling infection zones.

He said where it was appropriate, fogging was being undertaken but the mosquitoes responsible for transmitting the disease only bred in fresh water and that tended to be on homes and private property.

"Officers are doing house to house inspections and are advising people as to what they should do to protect themselves," he said.

Common dengue mozzie breeding sites include tyres, buckets, toys and pot plant bases and residents should also ensure that roof gutters are not blocked and breeding mosquitoes.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

SOurce: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=aOdn0YbyyXFI&refer=australia

Dengue Virus Sickens 34 People in Cairns, Northern Australia

By Simeon Bennett

Dec. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Dengue, the world?s most common mosquito-borne virus, has sickened 34 people in the northern Australian city of Cairns since an outbreak was declared Dec. 1, health authorities said.

At least two people have been admitted to hospital with the potentially lethal disease and officials have inspected yards and set traps as they seek to eliminate mosquito-breeding sites, Queensland Health said in statements on its Web site yesterday and on Dec. 12. Cairns is in the state of Queensland.

Dengue strikes about 50 million people a year worldwide and leads to about 500,000 hospitalizations, mostly of children, according to the Geneva-based World Health Organization. About 22,000 die.

Symptoms include high fever, headaches, joint and muscle pain, vomiting and a rash. Usually people with dengue recover within two weeks, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The infection can be fatal when it turns into dengue hemorrhagic fever, which causes bleeding from the nose, gums or under the skin, or dengue shock syndrome, which causes massive bleeding and shock, according to NIH. There?s no vaccine.

To contact the reporter on this story: Simeon Bennett in Singapore at sbennett9@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: December 15, 2008 20:55 EST

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/19/2451367.htm

Cairns dengue fever outbreak spreads

The dengue fever outbreak in Cairns, in far north Queensland, continues to spread, with Queensland Health confirming there are now 45 cases and that figure is expected to rise.

Another 12 people are waiting on the results of blood tests and six people have been admitted to hospital.

The hot spot suburbs for the mosquito-borne disease are North Cairns, Parramatta Park and Whitfield.

Dr Jeffrey Hannah from the Tropical Population Health Service urges sick locals to see their doctor.

"The typical symptoms would be the sudden onset of a high fever, very unpleasant headache, profound lethargy, muscle aches and pains and a rash and those sort of symptoms at the moment in Cairns city would be strongly suspicious of dengue," he said.

"We've got three suburbs that are very affected, but we're suspicious that it's moving to other suburbs."

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2008/12/20/20675_local-news.html

Dengue fever carrier fears
Damon Guppy
Saturday, December 20, 2008
? The Cairns Post

HEALTH officials fear unwitting dengue fever carriers could spread the disease across the Far North over Christmas because they fail to seek medical attention.

At least 45 people in three suburbs have contracted the disease but Queensland Health suspects there are several more casualties yet to be diagnosed.

About 12 of the confirmed dengue sufferers had been admitted to Cairns Base Hospital with severe symptoms. Tropical Population Health Services Jeffrey Hanna said North Cairns, Parramatta Park and Whitfield were the dengue hotspots because of the number of older and poorly maintained properties that attracted dengue mosquitoes.

But neighbouring suburbs were being monitored, he said.

He urged people who experienced symptoms to seek medical attention immediately rather than wait until after Christmas.

"Over Christmas many places go into festival mode and close down," Dr Hanna said.

"We're worried that during that week before people return to work this outbreak might spread and we come back in January with a real mess on our hands.

"People might not get treated because they choose to wait until after Christmas.

"Some people might be travelling and taking this outbreak into other areas."

Dr Hanna said although some general practitioners were closed, most left voice recordings directing their patients to other medical centres.

"They should not just sit at home," he said.

"That's not good because they might deteriorate."

To fight the outbreak, Cairns Regional Council is offering free disposal of discarded tyres, common breeding grounds for dengue mosquitoes.

Residents from streets in high-risk infection areas will be able to dispose of old tyres at both the Portsmith and Smithfield transfer stations from today until January 4.

For more information about dengue fever, visit www.health.qld.gov.au

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2008/12/22/20791_local-news.html

Dengue outbreak tops 50
Damon Guppy
Monday, December 22, 2008
? The Cairns Post

NORTH Cairns mum Karen Thwaites and her son, Ben, have blunt advice for people who fear they may be struck down with the dengue fever virus: "See a doctor now".

The pair has suffered shocking symptoms since contracting the mosquito-borne disease a month ago when their suburb became an infection hotspot.

The outbreak has spiked in the past five days with the toll estimated to be more than 50.

Mrs Thwaites, who is still recovering, said the virus gradually gripped her.

"I was just in a bit of a daze really when I got it," she said.

"I just thought I had a really bad flu so I went to see a doctor."

Blood tests confirmed she was one of the first victims of the disease, which has since spread to Parramatta Park, Westcourt, Edge Hill, Whitfield and the northern beaches.

Mrs Thwaites said the symptoms, which included a painful full-body rash, muscle and joint pain and extreme fatigue, were so dreadful "you think you?re going to die".

"It?s impossible to get out of bed, the headaches at the front of the head are horrific ? I was chewing Panadol ? and I had no appetite," she said.

"I had two weeks off work."

Ben Thwaites, 18, lost 10kg after contracting dengue fever.

A nightclub employee who is mostly on his feet during his shifts, he only returned to work at the weekend.

"I?m still a bit weak from it," he said.

Ben and his mother backed Queensland Health?s call for people who experience dengue-like symptoms to act immediately and not wait until after Christmas before seeing a doctor.

Tropical Population Health Services? Dr Jeffrey Hanna said suspected carriers who failed to seek medical advice could spread the disease wherever they went.

Authorities are monitoring several more suburbs close to the infected zones or where properties are conducive to breeding dengue mosquitoes.

A severe strain known as dengue haemorrhagic fever can be fatal. Residents in all suburbs have been urged to empty stagnant water in pot plants, car tyres, palm fronds and any other container.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24844574-662,00.html

Dengue fever outbreak in Queensland could be the worst in five years

By Janelle Miles

December 27, 2008 01:37am

NORTH Queensland is heading for its worst dengue fever outbreak in five years, with 52 cases already confirmed.

Six people have been admitted to hospital, while seven others are awaiting test results.

Queensland Health senior medical entomologist Brian Montgomery said the dengue fever season in Cairns had started two months earlier than usual. This suggested it would be a bad one for the mosquito-borne disease.

"The escalation in numbers is the quickest it's been since 2003-04," he said. In that year, two people died of the most serious form of the disease, dengue haemorrhagic fever, the first such deaths in more than a century in Queensland.

Mr Montgomery said the dengue mosquito, aegis egypti, was an "urban mosquito" which usually bred in containers around people's homes and tended to be daytime biters.

"One infected mosquito has a very high strike rate of being able to infect humans," he said.

"They tend not to fly more than 100m or 200m, so by paying attention to what happens in your yard, you can exert some level of control over your exposure.

"The messages are all about emptying pot-plant bases and old tyres and tarps that hold water, flushing out bird baths and unblocking roof gutters."

To avoid being bitten, people are advised to wear insect repellent and use indoor surface spray, mozzie zappers and coils around the house.

More than 800 people were infected in Cairns, Townsville and the Torres Strait during the 2003-04 season.

Symptoms of dengue fever, which has four strains, can include a fever, headaches, especially behind the eyes, a rash, unpleasant taste sensation, extreme tiredness, muscle aches and pains, and diarrhoea.

Queensland Health public health specialist Jeffrey Hanna said people with symptoms should seek medical attention.

"First-up infection can make people feel very ill," he said.

But, Dr Hanna said, the trigger for the potentially life-threatening complications associated with dengue haemorrhagic fever was a second or third attack with a different strain of the virus.

"The causes of dengue haemorrhagic fever are still not fully understood but, clearly, one of the most important risk factors is a second or third attack of dengue," he said.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.torresnews.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1040&Itemid=1

Dengue alert: T.I./Straits at risk
Sunday, 28 December 2008

Thursday Island is at risk of a dengue outbreak, with more than 100 dengue mosquito breeding sites found in residents? yards during a recent survey of the island.

Queensland Health staff recently surveyed 527 properties on the island and found 173 mosquito-breeding sites out of 1079 water-holding containers and is urging residents to empty all water holding containers.

Acting Director of Thursday Island Primary Health Centre Ella Bowie said that the major concern was that 60 per cent of mosquitoes collected during the survey were the dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti.

"The results of the survey are disturbing considering that the survey was carried out during the dry season," Ms Bowie said.

"We have the potential for an outbreak of dengue fever if a visitor with the dengue virus in their blood is bitten by one of these mosquitoes."

There is currently a dengue outbreak in Cairns, with 45 confirmed cases and counting.

And Ms Bowie is concerned that with people moving between Cairns and the Torres Strait during the festive period, combined with the poor survey results, that it all could lead to a dengue outbreak in the Torres Strait.

"Torres Strait residents are urged to check their yards once a week, every week and get rid of mosquito breeding sites. If you stop this mosquito breeding, you can stop the disease, "said Ms Bowie.

"The survey shows that approximately a quarter of all breeding was occurring in pot plant bases and another quarter occurring in buckets of water containing plant cuttings.

"Pot plant bases and striking buckets should be emptied weekly, wiped out with paper or cloth to remove any mosquito eggs sticking to the sides, and the paper or cloth burnt to destroy the eggs. Striking buckets can then be refilled."

Other mosquito breeding sites included silt traps, boats, garden items and tyres.

"Many items of rubbish lying around yards will also become mosquito breeding sites during the wet season," said Ms Bowie. "Preventing mosquito breeding in the yard is the responsibility of residents."

In 2005, there were 56 cases of dengue fever (type 4) in the Torres Strait, including 37 cases on Thursday Island. In the 2003/04 wet season, there were 278 cases of dengue fever (type 2) in the Torres Strait.

"Hundreds of people in the Torres Strait have had dengue in recent years and those people are now at risk of becoming dangerously ill if they get another type of dengue," said Ms Bowie.

"Unfortunately this is a real possibility, as the current outbreak in Cairns is dengue type 3."

Queensland Health strongly advises that people with symptoms of dengue ? such as fever, headache, rash, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, and fatigue ? should see a doctor immediately.

Queensland Health?s ?Stop the Mosquito Breeding? television, radio and print campaign throughout North Queensland from December to February will offer a timely reminder for Torres Strait residents to be on mosquito alert.

The campaign uses the popular ?Flozzie the Mozzie? character to deliver important messages to the public on how to prevent mosquito bites.

More information about dengue fever is available at www.health.qld.gov.au/dengue

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/30/2456422.htm

Another 15 dengue fever cases confirmed in Cairns

Queensland Health says that over the Christmas long weekend another 15 people in Cairns have been notified they have type 3 dengue fever, pushing the number up to 56 confirmed cases.

Another 10 suspected cases are still waiting on the results of blood tests.

Tropical Population Health Services spokesman Brad McCulloch says it is a positive sign the fever outbreak is found mainly in three suburbs.

He believes it is easier to fight a geographically isolated disease.

"At this stage the dengue cases have been confined primarily to the three suburbs of Cairns North, Whitfield and Parramatta Park and that's very encouraging because it means that we're not putting out little dengue bushfires all over the place," he said.

"We can really focus our efforts on mosquito controls in those three primarily affected suburbs."

Blood stocks down

Meanwhile, the outbreak of dengue fever in Cairns has indirectly led to dangerously low levels of blood stocks available for surgical operations.

The Red Cross Blood Service can no longer accept red cell donations from people living in potentially dengue infected areas from Ellis Beach north of Cairns to Edmonton.

The service is currently receiving between two and nine blood donations a week, compared to the 100 weekly donations required.

Red Cross spokesperson Deb Ryan says donations are urgently needed from outside Cairns.

"We're trying to get people that haven't been in that area to come in and donate because we do need red blood cells," he said.

"So if it's people from Mareeba or Innisfail in any of those areas or any Lapstoners to come and see us if they haven't been in that area."

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/30/2456575.htm

Dengue fever outbreak linked to overseas tourist

Queensland Health believes the dengue fever outbreak in Cairns could be linked to an international traveller who arrived in the city in October or November.

Brad McCulloch from Tropical Population Health Services suspects a tourist from overseas was bitten by local mosquitoes sparking the current outbreak.

Fifty six cases have now been confirmed with another 10 waiting on test results.

Mr McCulloch says the true extent of the outbreak is unknown since most patients were bitten sometime before seeing a doctor.

"People who are showing signs of dengue fever now would probably have been infected some short time ago," he said.

"People who have been notified to us over the Christmas break were probably infected with the virus early on and anyone who has any queries just refer to our website www.health.qld.gov.au/dengue.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2009/01/01/21751_local-news.html

Dengue tourist fears
Damon Guppy
Thursday, January 1, 2009
? The Cairns Post

THE dengue fever outbreak is moving towards the CBD, sparking fears it could infect tourists who will spread the virus across the region.

Health workers will lay mosquito traps along the Esplanade and Lake St in a bid to contain the disease, which is plaguing North Cairns, Parramatta Park, Whitfield and Clifton Beach.

Sixty-five people, at least two of whom were admitted to Cairns Base Hospital yesterday, have contracted dengue but the toll is rising by the day.

Tropical Population Health Services Jeffrey Hanna said the outbreak, which began on the western side of Sheridan St, has spread closer to the CBD.

"It?s jumped across the road on to the Esplanade side and it?s moving a couple of blocks to the central business district," Dr Hanna said. "Clearly that?s of great concern to us."

Queensland Health is worried because hotels and backpacker hostels are in the firing line of the outbreak.

"We?re concerned about travellers taking it to places like Townsville or Thursday Island," Dr Hanna said.

She said about 12 Cairns suburbs were in the outbreak zone.

Tourists Abby Burns, from Wellington, and Corinne Gallacher, from the Gold Coast, said they were worried about the dengue threat.

"We?ve been bitten by mosquitoes on the arms, legs and back," Ms Burns said.

"We were talking about it and saying we hope we don?t get it."

The Dengue Action Response Team has worked through Christmas and the New Year to wipe out breeding sites and educate residents and business staff on how to help stop the outbreak.

Those suffering the virus have been urged to minimise travel and wear insect repellent even indoors because the mosquito breeds in dark areas inside homes as well as in containers of fresh water outside.

For more information on dengue fever, visit www.health.qld.gov.au

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2009/01/03/22035_local-news.html

Fears for dengue spread
Saturday, January 3, 2009
? The Cairns Post


A DENGUE fever expert fears the potentially deadly disease could spread from Cairns to other parts of the tropics.

Tropical Population Health Services chief Jeffrey Hanna is fearful someone will contract fever in Cairns and take it elsewhere.

So far, 67 people are confirmed to have contracted the illness but Dr Hanna says more are pending and he is worried about the spread.

The virus so far is at North Cairns, Parramatta Park, Whitfield and Clifton Beach, with fears rising that it is CBD-bound.

A Queensland Health spokesman said 28 people had presented to the Cairns Base Hospital with the fever and four were admitted.

None so far have needed intensive care treatment.

Specialists have been able to identify the person who brought the latest outbreak to Cairns ? someone who travelled here from Indonesia.

"And we?ve been able to convince a person who?s here from Thursday Island and contracted it, to remain for a while," Dr Hanna said.

It was imperative that anyone who was diagnosed, move around the area as little as possible, Dr Hanna said.

He said it was a particularly bad time of year for the outbreak to occur, because of the number of people travelling to visit family or friends.

Weather conditions also were hindering control, he said.

Rain had been insufficient to spill over containers and empty the mosquito breeding grounds.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=44615

Dengue fever outbreak now in Townsville
Published: Monday, 5-Jan-2009

While health authorities continue to battle to contain an outbreak of Dengue fever in Cairns in north Queensland, further down the coast an outbreak has now been reported in Townsville.

The Cairns outbreak has now been raging for almost a month, exacerbated by wet and warm weather conditions, and authorities are struggling to get the message home to many residents about avoiding creating the conditions in their homes and yards that mosquitoes need to thrive and breed.

The two cases of Dengue fever confirmed in Townsville initially sparked concerns that the Cairns outbreak was spreading further afield but health officials say the strain of Dengue in Townsville is different.

According to Townsville's Tropical Population Health Unit two confirmed Dengue cases were locally-acquired and is a different strain to that which is currently causing the outbreak in Cairns.

Acting director Gerhard Ehlers says anyone with symptoms such as fever, headache, rash, vomiting, diarrhoea or fatigue should immediately see a doctor and though there has only been one Dengue fever-related death in Australian in the last 100 years, with haemorrhagic dengue there is a 2, 3% fatality rate.

Residents of Townsville and Magnetic Island are being urged to protect themselves against Dengue fever and the Tropical Population Health Services says surveillance and control work was already under way but calls for all Townsville residents to protect themselves against Dengue to avoid an escalation of the outbreak.

Residents are being urged to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes by using insect repellent, clearing away potential breeding sites such as old tyres, buckets, toys and pot plant bases around their homes and workplaces and also ensuring that roof gutters are not blocked and breeding mosquitoes.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,27574,24881362-3102,00.html

Hospitals struggle to cope with dengue fever outbreak
Janelle Miles
January 06, 2009 11:00pm

QUEENSLAND Health staff are struggling to cope with an outbreak of dengue fever in the far north.
In the past two months, 78 cases of the potentially deadly mosquito-borne virus have been confirmed in Cairns and in a separate outbreak, two people have been struck down in Townsville.

Public health specialist Jeffrey Hanna said the Cairns outbreak, which has been traced to an international traveller, is already stretching the capacity of medics and extra staff have had to be employed.

Dr Hanna said three teams were working on implementing mosquito control measures but even if that number was doubled, "We'd still have a problem."


"We have a dengue-friendly city here in Cairns. We're finding a lot of mosquito breeding in the properties we visit," he said.


"This outbreak clearly has a momentum about it. I expect it's going to be several months before it's overcome."


Dr Hanna said the weather in Cairns had been "perfect for the mosquito" this season with high temperatures, humidity and rain.

The worsening situation in north Queensland comes as scientists expressed fears the virus could return to the state's southeast for the first time in more than 60 years.


University of Queensland biologist Scott O'Neill, who is working on a promising new way to prevent the virus, said the recent policy of offering rebates to encourage water tank use had potentially placed the state's southeast at risk of future dengue outbreaks.

His concerns were echoed by Stephen Prowse, the Brisbane-based CEO of the Australian Biosecurity Co-operative Research Centre for Emergency Infectious Disease.

"We do need to be careful about dengue spreading further south than it currently is," Professor Prowse said.

"There needs to be a good understanding of the risks associated with water tanks.


"When tanks are installed, they're supposed to be mosquito proof. They should be checked regularly to make sure they remain mosquito proof."

Mr O'Neill said that in the short term, tanks were probably secure and not breeding mosquitoes.

"But it doesn't take very long, if the maintenance is not kept up on them, for them to become breeding sites for the dengue mosquito," he said.

The north Queensland dengue outbreaks are the state's worst since the 2003-04 season when more than 800 people were infected with the potential killer.

Two Torres Strait Islanders who developed the most severe form of the disease, dengue haemorrhagic fever, died during that year's outbreak.

Dr Hanna would not speculate if the 2008-09 season was shaping up to be as severe.

"I'm not very good at crystal ball gazing," he said.

Several people have had to be admitted to hospital in the latest dengue outbreak, some telling doctors that "they've never felt so sick in their life".

"It makes many people feel absolutely dreadful," Dr Hanna said. "They're laid so low they can't look after themselves.

"I'm absolutely sure if it wasn't for our quality of care through our general practitioners, community health centres, ambulance . . . and our public hospitals, we'd have a much more serious problem in terms of outcome."

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24885061-3102,00.html

Public told to eliminate dengue mosquito breeding sites
Janelle Miles

January 07, 2009 11:00pm

NORTH Queenslanders are being enlisted to seek and destroy mosquito breeding areas as outbreaks of dengue fever soar to 92 confirmed cases.

Queensland Health staff are dealing with two separate outbreaks of the mosquito-borne virus - in Cairns 87 people have been infected, and five in Townsville.

Senior medical entomologist Brian Montgomery said members of the public needed to change their behaviour "en masse" by ensuring potential mosquito breeding sites on their properties were eliminated.

"The public need to take ownership for what's happening in their yards," Mr Montgomery said.

"We're looking at a significant outbreak. It's unrealistic to think otherwise."

North Queenslanders are being advised to ensure containers holding water in their back yards, such as pot plant saucers, pet bowls and old tyres are emptied weekly.

Mr Montgomery admitted the extent of the outbreak was such that Queensland Health staff had a backlog of work in dealing with dengue notifications.

Once a person is diagnosed with the virus, a dengue action response team investigates their movements in a bid to prevent mosquitoes infecting more people.

Extra staff have been employed in Cairns to deal with the outbreak, the worst since 2003-04 when almost 900 Queenslanders were infected.

Mr Montgomery urged people who believe they may have dengue symptoms, such as a fever, rash, headaches, an unpleasant taste sensation, nausea and diarrhoea, to seek medical attention.

"If people don't go to the doctor, they become invisible to the health department," he said.

"That's usually another way an outbreak can percolate along without us having much control.

"We can only control what we can see."

The dengue mosquito, aedes aegypti, is a daytime biter.

Only females can transmit the potentially deadly virus.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aqmeci_sfpAo&refer=asia

Dengue Spreads in Northern Australia; Worst Outbreak Since 2004
By Simeon Bennett

Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Dengue sickened more than 100 people in northeastern Australia, marking the worst outbreak of the potentially lethal mosquito-borne disease since 2004.

Ninety-seven people were ill in Cairns, Queensland state, while 350 kilometers (218 miles) south in Townsville, an unrelated outbreak of a different strain of the virus struck six people, said Brian Montgomery, a senior medical entomologist with Queensland Health. More than 10 people have been hospitalized, though none have died, he said. An outbreak in 2003 and 2004 struck almost 900 people, killing one.

?It?s nasty and it?s fast,? Montgomery said in a telephone interview. ?I hate to say it, but we?ve got many more cases to come and it?s anyone?s guess as to what it could be.?

Health officials are concerned the two outbreaks may merge, raising the risk the epidemic will turn deadly. While people infected with one type of dengue develop lifelong immunity to that virus, studies have shown subsequent infection with a different strain makes a person more susceptible to a complication called dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can kill.

The Cairns outbreak, of type 3 of the virus, began after a resident infected in Kalimantan, Indonesia, returned to the city, Montgomery said. Townsville?s type-1 outbreak has been traced to Singapore, he said.


Hot, humid weather and rainfall in the region has helped the Aedes aegypti mosquito species, which spreads dengue, to breed more than normal for this time of year, Montgomery said.

Ideal Weather

?We still have ideal weather patterns at the moment for prolific Aedes aegypti breeding, and we have dengue in more areas of Cairns than we can respond to comprehensively,? he said. ?We?re bracing ourselves for an outbreak which could persist to April or May.?

Health workers have laid more than 2,000 traps in homes around Cairns and local authorities are issuing fines of A$375 ($264) to households that fail to clear mosquito-breeding sites from their yards, Montgomery said.

Dengue strikes about 50 million people a year worldwide and leads to about 500,000 hospitalizations, mostly of children, according to the Geneva-based World Health Organization. About 22,000 die.

An outbreak in Brazil last year struck more than 120,000 people. Cairns has had 22 dengue outbreaks since 1990.

Symptoms include high fever, headaches, joint and muscle pain, vomiting and rashes. Usually, people with dengue recover within two weeks, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

The infection can be fatal when it turns into dengue hemorrhagic fever, which causes bleeding from the nose, gums or under the skin, or dengue shock syndrome, which causes massive bleeding and shock, according to NIH.

There are no drugs or vaccine for the disease.

To contact the reporter on this story: Simeon Bennett in Singapore at sbennett9@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: January 11, 2009 01:55 EST