unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

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Breaking pattern, dengue surfaces in March
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=225135
Teena Thacker

New Delhi, March 5:
Dengue is back, with the city reporting one confirmed case and another outstation case being recorded, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has confirmed.

?A case from Rajouri Garden in West Delhi district has already been confirmed this year. One more person from Rajasthan who was in the city last month was found dengue-positive,? Dr N K Yadav, Municipal Health Officer (MHO), said.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]These cases have been reported well before the onset of monsoon, putting doctors on alert.

However, the MCD says this could be a ?still over? case from last year and there is no need to panic.

?Once a person is infected with dengue virus, there is a possibility at times that the same person may continue to test positive for the next few months,? Yadav said.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Dr N P Singh, Professor of Medicine at the Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), said: ?We have started getting cases of fever with symptoms like dengue already.
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]This is unusual behaviour and is a warning to us that we should be more vigilant this year. As the temperature starts going up, we will start getting more cases, so there is reason to get worried.?[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]With so many dengue cases being recorded last year in the city, the Health Department directed the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) to carry out an epidemiological study about dengue.[/FONT]

 

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Pakistan - Health dept plans to counter Dengue

Pakistan - Health dept plans to counter Dengue

Pakistan - Health dept plans to counter Dengue
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\03\07\story_7-3-2007_pg12_7

KARACHI:
The Sindh Health Department has embarked upon a strategy to combat any possible outbreak of Dengue Fever in Karachi as well as other parts of the country.

In a meeting held at the Sindh Secretariat Tuesday, Special Secretary for Health, Dr Abdul Majid reviewed the arrangements and directed officials to strengthen public health education as well as induct a training system for general physicians about a proper understanding of the health condition.

Dr Majid said that measures were being adopted for the immediate and proper disposal of solid waste as well as improved general hygiene conditions across the province.

?Although previous episodes of Dengue were mainly registered in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Umerkot, equal attention must be paid to all parts of Sindh to avoid any difficult situation,? he said.

Health EDOs from all parts of the province informed the special health secretary about the logistics available to them, particularly fogging machines, as well as arrangements for diagnosis such as lab facilities and treatment in their respective jurisdictions.

It was concluded that most of the districts did not have appropriate arrangements for fogging.

Dr Shehla Baqi, infection control expert at Dow University of Health Sciences, mentioned that fogging and fumigation did not play much of a role in controlling Dengue Fever.

?It is more important to focus on cleanliness and hygiene,? she said.

Regarding the fact that mosquitoes causing dengue fever breed in clean water, she suggested that people must be repeatedly informed to keep their water storage clean and properly covered besides ensuring that it was kept running and water was regularly replaced.

Dr Majid said that it was time to gear up efforts for the prevention of the ailment that had affected 4,767 people (registered cases) and caused 54 deaths throughout the province.

He said that it was essential that people were sensitized that all three strains of Dengue existed in Karachi and it was extremely important that all previously inflicted patients, even if they had completely recovered, ensured that they were not bitten by any mosquito.

?They must be educated about the compulsory use of mosquito nets and application of anti-mosquito lotions including mustard oil to protect themselves against mosquito bites,? he stressed.

Dr Majid said that capacities of healthcare professionals must be improved for timely and appropriate realization of the status of possible Dengue Fever victims, who must be provided with the required intervention and lab tests.

The city government?s health facilities include Qatar Hospital, New Karachi Hospital, Ibrahim Hyderi Hospital, Korangi Hospital, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Sarfaraz Rafiqui Shaheed Hospital.

Sindh Health Secretary Prof Naushad Shaikh appreciated the fact that the situation in Karachi had been handled quite efficiently.

?The strategy being devised currently to counter a possible outbreak of the epidemic in coming months is in the larger public interest,? he said, underscoring the need for extensive awareness about the modes of the virus? prevention. He expressed the hope that the country would be able to eradicate Dengue Fever in the next three to five years.

 

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Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

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Researchers in the United States have developed a method that could lead to a single vaccine against all four types of the dengue virus.


Four-way Dengue Vaccine a 'success', Say Scientists
http://www.medindia.net/news/view_news_main.asp?x=18918

The dengue virus causes dengue hemorrhagic fever, shock and encephalitis.

The four types of virus are all sufficiently different that individuals vaccinated against one virus type are still vulnerable to infection by the others.

There is currently no commercially available vaccine for protection against all types of dengue virus.

But John Dong of the Medical University of South Carolina, United States, and colleagues have developed a method that could lead to a safe and effective vaccine for all four types of the virus.

They produced a pair of synthetic vaccines, each containing genes from two of the four virus types.

These successfully mimicked natural infection in mice, inducing an immune response against each of the four virus types at once.

The research was published in the February issue of the journal Clinical and Vaccine Immunology.

According to Dong, the synthetic vaccine demonstrated "100 per cent efficacy" in protecting the mice against all four dengue viruses. He added that the vaccine had also demonstrated safety in preclinical toxicology studies.

Dong told SciDev,Net that a further study on non-human primates has been conducted and will soon be submitted to a scientific journal for publication by colleagues at the US-based Naval Medical Research Center.

Prida Malasit of the Medical Biotechnology Unit in Bangkok, Thailand, welcomed the development.
"There is no doubt on the importance of having the vaccine" he said.

 

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Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

Dengue, Tropical and Subtropical Regions

http://www.spiritindia.com/health-care-news-articles-6994.html

Dengue, Tropical and Subtropical Regions

The range of dengue has rapidly expanded in recent years to include most tropical countries throughout Asia (including the Indian Subcontinent), the South Pacific, the Caribbean, South and Central America, and Africa.


The risk to travelers is related to mosquito exposure, which can vary with the season.

Since mid-January 2007 there has been an ongoing dengue outbreak in Paraguay, South America.



The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has indicated 2007 could be a very active year for dengue activity in the Latin America region and that preventive measures are strongly urged.



In addition, dengue outbreaks have been reported in several Southeast and South Asian countries in recent years.



According to the Southeast Asia-Region Office of the World Health Organization (WHO), 8 of 11 countries in the South East Asia Region ( Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste) report dengue disease incidence every year.

Prevention Measures for Travelers

No vaccine is available for dengue; however, travelers can reduce their risk by taking steps to protect themselves from mosquito bites:

Use insect repellent containing DEET or Picaridin. DEET concentrations of 30% to 50% are effective for several hours.



Picaridin, available in 7% and 15% concentrations, needs to be applied more frequently. (Note: apply any needed sunscreen before applying insect repellent)



Wear lightweight long pants and long-sleeved shirts when outdoors
Stay in hotels or resorts that are air conditioned. If air conditioning is not available, staying in well-screened rooms can reduce contact with mosquitoes



Empty or cover containers that can collect water (e.g., uncovered barrels, flower vases, or cisterns), because mosquitoes that transmit dengue breed in standing water

Aedes mosquitoes, the principal mosquito vector, usually are active at dusk and dawn, but may feed at any time during the day, especially indoors, in shady areas, or when the weather is cloudy.


Additionally, the risk for contracting dengue is greater in urban areas and lower in rural areas or areas at high altitude (above 4,500 feet [1500 meters]).

(Last updated on Thursday, March 8, 2007, and first posted on Tuesday, February 27, 2007)

 

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Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

KARNATAKA - <small>BELLARY
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItem...age=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0

</small>Bellary to get rid of dogs, pigs
Thursday March 8 2007 12:08 IST

BELLARY: Awakening after a series of attacks on children by stray dogs, finally the BCC has resolved to eliminate the stray dog menace.



Official sources said that, the corporation will launch an operation to catch and execute dogs.

But interestingly, the corporation doesn?t have lethal injections, dog catchers, vehicles and other necessary materials to eliminate them and the corporation is mulling calling a tender to get rid of them.

With the fear of epidemics like Japanese Encephalitis, malaria and dengue looming large Bellary the city has become infamous on this score. So Bellary DC, Aravinda Srivasthava has written a letter seeking permission to get rid of pigs which are believed to be the carriers of these diseases.

 

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Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

The following is taken from Bombay Hospital Journal Review.

What is dengue?

Dengue is an acute mosquito-transmitted viral disease characterized by fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, rash, nausea and vomiting.

Some infections result in dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), a syndrome that in its most severe form can threaten the patient?s life, primarily through increased vascular permeability and shock. The case fatality in patients with dengue shock syndrome (DSS) can be as high as 44%.

When were the earliest reported cases of dengue?

Epidemics of an illness compatible with DF (dengue fever) were first reported in medical literature in 1779 in Batavia (present-day Jakarta) and in 1780 in Philadelphia.



Since then, epidemics have been reported in Calcutta (1824, 1853, 1871 and 1905), the West Indies (1827), Hong Kong (1901), Greece (1927-1928), Australia (1925-1926, 1942), the United States (1922), and Japan (1942-1945).

Dengue is predominant in tropical areas mostly in South-east Asia, Africa and Southern parts of the US.



The first large epidemic of DHF occurred in Cuba in 1981 with 24,000 cases of DHF and 10,000 cases of DSS. In 1986 and 1987 massive outbreaks of dengue were reported in Brazil. In 1988, an epidemic of DF was reported at 1700m above sea level in Guerrero State, Mexico, and in 1990 almost one-fourth of 3,000,000 people living in Iquitos, Peru contracted DF.


How is dengue transmitted?

The known natural hosts for dengue viruses are man, lower primates, and mosquitoes.

The arthropod vectors are members of the genus Aedes that thrive both in urban and rural areas.

The predominant species implicated in disease transmission are A. aegypti and A. albopictus. Aedes aegypti, considered the most effective vector, originated in the forests of Africa and is found between 30 degrees north and 20 degrees south latitude.

The female mosquito feeds during the daytime, with peak activity in the mornings and late afternoons.

After feeding on a viremic individual, the mosquito may transmit the virus directly by change of host, or after 8 to 10 days, during the time the virus multiplies in the salivary glands.

The infected mosquito then remains capable of transmission for its entire life. Transovarian transmission of dengue viruses has been documented, and A. aegypti eggs are highly resistant to desiccation and can survive for extended periods.

Aedes albopictus is indigenous to Southeast Asia, feeds during the day, and has been shown to have a higher biting frequency than A. aegypti.

Recently, it has been introduced into Nigeria, Europe, and the United States, apparently by shipments of used automobile tires.

In the US, Aedes albopictus has spread as far north as Chicago.

With the spread of adaptable cold-resistant strains, the chances for a major outbreak in Europe have increased.



What are the symptoms of DF?

The clinical features of dengue virus infection vary from an asymptomatic infection to a febrile flu like infection (DF) to more severe form like DHF, which can lead to DSS.

The clinical variability is poorly understood and seems to be related to the age, sex and the immunologic and nutritional status of the patient.

DHF is most likely to develop in immune-competent, well-nourished girls between the ages of 7 and 12 years. DHF is most common in children between ages 5 and 15 years.

How is DF diagnosed?

The clinical criteria for diagnosis are as follows: (1) fever
(2) hemorrhagic manifestations, including at least a positive tourniquet test result and a major or minor bleeding phenomenon
(3) hepatic enlargement
(4) shock (high pulse rate and narrowing of the pulse pressure to 20 mmHg or less, or hypotension).
The laboratory criteria include
(5) thrombocytopenia (less than 100,000/cumm)
(6) hemoconcentration (hematocrit increase by 20%).
Thrombocytopenia with concurrent high hematocrit levels differentiates DHF from classic DF.

Currently routine laboratory diagnosis of dengue infections depends on virus isolation or the detection of dengue virus-specific antibodies.



Virus isolation is only available in big laboratories. Recently commercial kits for the detection of specific IgG as well as IgM antibodies have become available. (These are available in Virac.)



They are based on a dot enzyme assay or a nitrocellulose membrane-based capture format, respectively, and should be suitable for field research.

How is DF treated?

Patients with DF require rest, oral fluids to compensate for losses via diarrhea or vomiting, analgesics, and antipyretics for high fever (acetaminophen) but not aspirin, so that platelet function will not be impaired.

Steroids in DSS are not helpful.

With the earliest suspicion of threatened severe illness, an intravenous line should be placed so that fluids can be provided. Monitoring of blood pressure, hematocrit, platelet count, hemorrhagic manifestations, urinary output, and level of consciousness is important.

Monitoring should be continued for at least a day after defervescence.



Once the patient begins to recover, extravasated fluid is rapidly reabsorbed, causing a drop in hematocrit.



Before discharge, the patient should meet the following criteria: absence of fever for 24 h (without antipyretics) and a return of appetite; improvement in the clinical picture; hospital care for at least 3 days after recovery from shock; no respiratory distress from pleural effusion or ascites; stable hematocrit; and platelet count greater than 50,000/ml.


How can we lessen our risk of getting DF?


Currently, there is no vaccine available for dengue. Therefore, eradication of the vector, the Aedes mosquito, is the next best option. Clean up drives should be directed to remove standing water that may serve as breeding grounds for mosquito larvae. Mosquito repellent lotions may also help.

 

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Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

Uruguay raises alert level after discovery of dengue-carrying mosquitoes
http://english.people.com.cn/200703/06/eng20070306_354694.html

Uruguayan health authorities raised the alert level to the maximum Monday after discovering the larvae of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which spreads dengue fever, in the northern city of Rivera.


Jorge Basso, director of the National Health Service, said authorities had fumigated a neighborhood within a radius of 300 meters of the city center, where the mosquito was found. Rivera, which has a population of 60,000, is 500 km north of Montevideo.


Uruguay has been free of dengue since the beginning of this year, when an epidemic ripped through Paraguay and a smaller number of cases were reported in Brazil and northern Argentina.


But the South American country may yet have its first case of dengue, as doctors are expected to make a diagnosis on a patient in a hospital in Rivera.


Local authorities have strengthened their publicity campaign to persuade citizens to act against the mosquito, which was eliminated in Uruguay in 1958, but returned to the country in 1997 after a spreading across South America.


In 2006, Uruguay reported six cases of dengue, all visiting foreigners who had caught the disease before arriving in Uruguay.


Dengue is caused by four closely-related viruses and is spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which breeds in still water. Its symptoms include high fever, nausea, rashes, backache and headaches.


Source: Xinhua

 

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Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

Dengue cripples Paraguay
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=1377&sectionid=3510207

At least 10 people have been killed and 15,000 others infected by Dengue in Paraguay in the past two months, forcing authorities to declare a 60-day state of emergency.

Doctors have claimed the actual numbers are 10 times higher than what the government has announced.

Protests have been staged to demand the resignation of Health Minister Oscar Martinez.

The latest to fall victim to the disease is a high-ranking official at Paraguay's Health Ministry, Maria Catalina Roa, who oversaw all registered nurses in public hospitals, and died in hospital two weeks after being diagnosed with the disease.

Authorities are worried about a new and more virulent variant of the disease which is spread by mosquitoes.

Dengue is epidemic in much of the Americas, and countries like Bolivia and Brazil have seen a rise in cases, too.

The disease causes high fevers, muscle and joint pains, weakness, and internal bleeding.Dengue is seldom deadly but has potentially lethal variants.

The government has asked for help from the U.S. and Argentina to help determine the type of dengue in the present epidemic.

 

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Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

Experts from 4 nations join Paraguayan health officials in battling dengue outbreak
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070306-1523-paraguay-dengueoutbreak.html

3:23 p.m. March 6, 2007
<!-- BODYTEXT --> ASUNCION, Paraguay ? Health workers from France, Argentina, Brazil and Cuba have joined their Paraguayan counterparts in battling an outbreak of dengue that has claimed 10 lives this year, Health Minister Oscar Martinez said Tuesday.

Martinez said 16,200 people in Paraguay have been infected with the mosquito-borne disease since Jan. 1, up from 15,000 cases a week earlier.

Authorities have continued efforts to fumigate homes and remove stagnant pools of water while dispensing free medicine. Disease-spreading mosquitoes have flourished in unusually wet weather in central South America.

?The specialists from these friendly nations are going to help us in the fight against this disease,? Martinez told a news conference. He did not say how many outside health workers had arrived.


Martinez, who has been criticized for the department's handling of the outbreak, insisted the epidemic appeared to be easing. But others were doubtful.


Desiree Masi, president of the Paraguayan Society of Doctors, said as many as 150,000 could be infected. By comparison, only 1,600 cases of dengue were reported in all of 2006 in Paraguay.


Martinez said the vast majority of infections are classic dengue, or bonebreak fever disease, marked by severe headaches, muscle and joint pain and often nausea. He said only 48 cases were a more severe form, hemorraghic dengue, which can cause sudden high fever, rash, aches, weakness and even internal bleeding.

 

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Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

Florida -USA
Disease similar to West Nile may be coming to our area


Chikungunya sounds like something off the menu of a Creole restaurant. But it's a painful disease epidemic in Africa and India, and scientists fear it might replace West Nile virus as the newest mosquito-borne disease to threaten America.

"One thing that West Nile taught us is that exotic viruses can be introduced into this country, become embedded and cause real problems," said Jonathan Day, University of Florida professor of medical entomology. "The next one in the queue that can be established in this country and cause us problems is chikungunya."

To date, there has been one case of chikungunya fever in Florida.

The disease was discovered in Volusia County, but Day said public health officials determined the stricken person had been infected in Sri Lanka.

The virus is native to Africa. It swept over a number of Indian Ocean islands during 2006 before jumping to India where, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, it caused more then 1.3 million cases.


The Journal reported more than 1,000 cases among people returning to Europe and America from areas where these outbreaks occurred.



And unlike West Nile virus, which needs wild birds to multiply and spread, chikungunya fever can be passed directly between people through mosquito bites or close personal contact.


Day said chikungunya fever resembles dengue fever in that it causes painful inflammation of bone joints. The last epidemic of mosquito-borne dengue fever in Florida occurred in 1934 with about 10,000 cases.


Day said the Treasure Coast already is home to two transplanted mosquito species that can spread chikungunya virus.


One is Aedes aegypti. Day said the mosquito is thought to have arrived in North America from Africa with the slave trade starting in the 1600s.



The mosquito spreads yellow fever, a disease that killed about 100,000 Americans before being brought under control in the early 20th Century.


The other is Aedes albopictus, better known as the Asian tiger mosquito, for its stripes. It probably came to the United States in shipments of used truck tires from Japan, said George O'Meara, UF professor of entomology.


Public health response to the threat of chikungunya is now the same as to other established mosquito-borne diseases.


"In Florida, whether it's chikungunya, West Nile or dengue, I think it's important for people to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes," said



Carina Blackmore of the Florida Department of Health.
She said people also regularly should inspect around homes for stagnant water where mosquitoes breed.


Blackmore said anyone who becomes sick after being abroad should tell their physician about their recent travels.


The last African mosquito-borne virus to invade Florida was West Nile virus. Discovered in New York City in 1999, it arrived in the Sunshine State two years later on migrating birds.


The worst year for West Nile in Florida was 2003, when there were 94 confirmed cases, including six deaths. Day said a pattern for West Nile seems to be widespread sporadic infections such as occurred in 2003, followed by an epidemic the next year.


However, the four hurricanes that struck Florida in 2004 could account for the state being spared such an epidemic, he added.

 

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Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

[FONT=Verdana,Arial, Helvetica]Argentina

Nations struggle to cope

with effects of rain, fever

BUENOS AIRES - [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial, Helvetica]wire reports
Posted March 8 2007

[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial, Helvetica]Recent heavy rains in South America have killed dozens of people, wiped out thousands of homes and triggered outbreaks of dengue fever in several countries.

Hardest hit has been Bolivia, where flooding has killed more than 40 people, destroyed nearly a half-million acres of farmland and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.

Bolivian army officials announced this week that more than 77,000 families have been affected by the floods since December, mostly in the low-lying Amazon flood plains of the Beni province.

Flooding in northern Argentina has also resulted in hundreds of evacuations in recent days.

The rains have indirectly contributed to a public health crisis in Paraguay, where an outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue fever in recent weeks has killed 10 people and sickened thousands more.

Standing rainwater helped create breeding grounds for the mosquitoes that carry the virus, according to health experts.

Additional cases of dengue fever have been reported in recent weeks in Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia.
[/FONT]

 

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Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

BRAZIL
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/mar2007/wkrs-m06.shtml

Construction workers stop work at Pan-American games stadium in Brazil

A walkout of 1,100 construction workers last Friday stalled work at the Joao Havelange Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. The stadium is being readied for the Pan-American summer games that will take place this July.


The workers are demanding a 15 percent raise, improved safety equipment, better and more sanitary working conditions, and higher quality lunches.



Strikers said that the water they are forced to wash with is unsanitary and pointed out the presence of dengue-fever-infested mosquitoes on the worksite.


An outbreak of dengue fever is affecting northern Rio de Janeiro, where the stadium is being built, due to stagnant waters on the site.


The stadium/sports complex is one of the main venues for the summer games. Work on this facility is behind schedule. The resulting speedup recently contributed to the death of a construction worker, who fell from the structure?s ceiling.

 

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Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

A March escape without shots could find you snared by illness

DR. MARLA SHAPIRO

• E-mail Dr. Marla Shapiro
• | <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinions/columnists/Dr.+Marla+ShapiroBio.html" title="Read a brief biography on Dr. Marla Shapiro">Read <abbr title="Biography">Bio</abbr>
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070227.HSHAPIRO27/TPStory/specialScienceandHealth/columnists

With spring break upon us, many Canadians are taking respite from the winter cold and heading to warmer climates.



But with reports of Norwalk virus on cruise ships, malaria outbreaks in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, dengue fever in Mexico and concerns about traveller's diarrhea, a lot of my patients have come in asking what precautions to take.


<!-- /Summary --> Let's start with some general advice. If you are planning to travel you should ask your physician or travel clinic at least a month before you depart whether any immunizations or special measures are recommended.



It can take several weeks for some vaccines to take effect. That's why you can't leave your medical appointment to the last minute.


For both adults and children, it is essential to make sure that all routine vaccinations are up to date. Adults often forget that a tetanus and diphtheria booster shot is recommended every 10 years. Many adults cannot remember when or even if they have had an updated shot. In addition, if travelling this time of the year, during flu season, an influenza vaccination is a good idea.


Another vaccine to consider is the Hepatitis A vaccine. Hepatitis A is one of the most common diseases picked up by travellers. Typically, the virus is transmitted through contaminated food or water and causes inflammation of the liver. A single dose of the vaccine will offer short-term immunity within three weeks of it being given. A second vaccine, given six months to one year after the initial vaccine, will typically give lifetime protection to most individuals.



Hepatitis B also causes an inflammation of the liver but is not spread through contaminated food or water. Instead, it is spread through contact with the body fluids of an infected individual during sex, by sharing injected drug needles, or through a contaminated blood transfusion. Immunization is available for hepatitis B.


Recently, there has been concern about malaria in many popular destinations. Malaria is caused by a parasite that is essentially injected into the blood stream by the bite of an infected mosquito.



It is important to know if malaria is present so that precautions can be taken. These would include using insect repellents on exposed skin, particularly between dusk and dawn, and wearing protective clothing. In addition, anti-malarial medication exists.


The specific anti-malarial drug required will depend upon the particular strain of the disease that is present in the travel region. Some strains have developed a resistance to certain drugs. The medication must be started before departure, and continued for the entire time you are away as well as for several weeks after leaving the area. Side effects should be reviewed with the prescribing physician.


Dengue fever outbreaks were reported early in the new year in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It causes a severe flu-like illness, although it rarely leads to death. Common symptoms include muscle aches, headaches, joint pain and rash.



The fever typically lasts from three to five days.


Dengue virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito.



There is no vaccine for dengue fever, so following recommendations to prevent being bitten is critical.



A total of 215 cases of the fever were reported in the Pacific resort last month.


Another common vacation illness is so-called traveller's diarrhea. It is characterized by frequent loose or watery bowel movements. It often occurs as a result of consuming contaminated food and liquids. One of the most common bacterial sources is enterotoxigenic E. coli or ETEC.


A relatively new vaccine called Dukoral is now available to prevent ETEC diarrhea. Two doses of the vaccine are taken by mouth one week apart. About 60 per cent of the protection offered by the vaccine occurs within one week of completing the final dose.



A booster dose given three months later is suggested if you are still away and at risk. Dukoral will also protect against cholera. This vaccine can be given to those aged two and older.


Depending on where you are going, there are other available vaccines ranging from polio to yellow fever to meningococcal vaccines and Japanese encephalitis vaccine.



It is always important to review what particular risks you face based on the area of travel.
Dr. Marla Shapiro can be seen Tuesdays on CTV's Canada AM.

 

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Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

New Zealand -
Rarotonga hit by dengue fever epidemic

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/3984954a34.html

By MICHAEL FIELD - Fairfax Media | Wednesday, 7 March 2007

Rarotonga - a popular holiday destination for New Zealanders - is being badly hit by an epidemic of the mosquito born disease dengue fever.

Cook Islands Ministry of Health clinical services director Dr Henry Tikaka told Fairfax Media today nobody had died yet.


"At the moment we have about 900 cases and it is increasing."
Most were being treated as out-patients but some had been admitted to hospital for rehydration.


A major campaign was underway to clean up mosquito breeding areas on the island but continued wet weather was hampering the effort.


"We just continue doing what we try to do," Dr Tikaka said.


"What goes up does come down eventually and we hope that nature will take over."


Dengue can be fatal and is painful for those who get it.


The standard treatment is panadol, bed rest and fluid. Aspirin has to be avoided.
?
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) say dengue is a disease caused by any one of four closely related viruses. The viruses are transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito.


It is estimated that there are over 100 million cases of dengue worldwide each year.


The principal symptoms of dengue are high fever, severe headache, backache, joint pains, nausea and vomiting, eye pain, and rash.



Generally, younger children have a milder illness than older children and adults.


Outbreaks of dengue occur primarily in areas where Aedes aegypti (sometimes also Aedes albopictus) mosquitoes live.


CDC say that for travellers in areas with dengue, a well as people living in areas with dengue, the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes indoors is reduced by utilization of air conditioning or windows and doors that are screened.


Proper application of mosquito repellents containing 20 per cent to 30 per cent diethyl toluamide (DEET) as the active ingredient on exposed skin and clothing decreases the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes.

 

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Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

Philippines
Dengue claims girl, downs 2 more


The dengue menace continued to stalk the country, claiming the life of a nine-year-old girl from Bataan and causing the hospitalization of at least two more in Metro Manila.

Radio dzRH reported Monday morning that the girl, identified as Roxanne Elcillo, 9, died late last week at the Philippine Heart Center after being brought there from Bataan province.

Elcillo's parents blamed doctors at the Bataan General Hospital for having a hand in Roxanne's death by misdiagnosing her illness as typhoid fever.

Roxanne, a grade-four student in Sta. Rosa Elementary School and a resident of Panilao village in Pilar town in Bataan, was rushed to the Bataan General Hospital in Balanga City on February 23.

Her father Wilfredo said they decided to have her transferred to the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City February 26, after her condition did not improve.

Wilfredo said that despite the Bataan hospital's insistence that Roxanne was suffering from typhoid fever, they had her transferred after noticing blood coming out of her nose.

Roxanne's aunt Cecilia Artates-Elcillo, who works at the Philippine Heart Center, said doctors at the Bataan General Hospital did not conduct enough tests on the girl.

"Maaring bumabagsak ang platelet ng bata, hindi nila na-monitor (Her platelet count may have already been down but the Bataan General Hospital doctors did not notice it)," she said.

She said Roxanne's platelet count went down from 100 to 20, and died after her blood pressure plummeted.

But Liberty Roquero, senior nurse at the Bataan General Hospital, denied negligence on their part.

In Metro Manila, meanwhile, dzBB radio reported that two more patients were rushed to the Rizal Medical Center this month for dengue.

Nurse on duty Romer Mangawang said the latest victim was brought in Sunday.

He identified her as Ma. Angeline Aquino, 5, of West Rembo in Makati City. He said she was suffering from Stage 1 hemorrhagic fever.

Last week, 56-year-old Luz Mayola was brought to the hospital after suffering symptoms of dengue.

The dzBB report said the Rizal Medical center admitted at least 19 cases last February, and 27 cases last January. - GMANews.TV

 

[Snowy Owl]

Re: unusual moskitoes behaviour - Dengue

INDONESIA
Dengue kills 307 in Indonesia outbreak
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=116797

Jakarta (dpa)

A seasonal dengue fever outbreak in Indonesia has killed at least 307 people and sickened more than 20,000 others this year, health officials and local media reports said Wednesday.

Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari warned of a possible major spike in mosquito-borne dengue fever cases during the next two weeks because of torrential rains last week that flooded the capital Jakarta and two neighbouring provinces.

"Due to changeable climate conditions after recent flooding, we're assuming that dengue fever cases will sharply increase," Supari was quoted as saying by the Indonesian daily Koran Tempo newspaper.

She said the floods had created more small pools of fresh water, which are excellent breeding ground for the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

It can transmit the dengue virus to humans through a single bite.

The Indonesian Health Ministry had declared eight of the country's 33 provinces, including all provinces on densely populated Java Island, as high-risk for dengue fever because of the skyrocketing number of cases.

Rita Kustriastuti of the health ministry's dengue team told Elshinta private radio that a total of 20,416 dengue fever cases were recorded in the country since January 1, with 307 people dead.

She said additional dengue fever cases were reported from, among others, Central and West Java provinces, as well as in the capital Jakarta.

Kustriastuti said health authorities would conduct a mass eradication against nets of mosquitoes that transmit the disease in the capital Jakarta on Friday, including a mass fogging through residential areas that considered as the high-risk.

She said unless step up vigilance and continue with ridding our environment of the mosquitoes that transmit the disease and their larvae, we may still see more casualties falling in the coming weeks.

West Java was the worst-hit province with 86 deaths and more than 4,958 people infected. West Java and neighbouring Banten province's infection rates have been declared an "extraordinary occurrence" after the number of infected people there rose sharply.

In Jakarta, nine people have died from dengue fever and more than 2,970 others have been infected.

Fatalities were also reported in Central and East Java provinces, and the provinces of West and South Kalimantan, North Sulawesi and Papua.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes lay their eggs in fresh, still water.

The mosquitoes can breed in discarded tires, flower pots, oil drums and water storage containers nearby human dwellings.

Other health officials likened dengue fever in Indonesia to an "iceberg," saying that with the rainy season underway, the disease will continue spreading. They have urged residents to be vigilant about keeping their surroundings clear as infection rates were on the rise.

Dengue infects up to 50 million people worldwide each year, and South-east Asia and the Western Pacific are the worst-hit regions. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a lethal complication of the disease, and is a leading cause of hospitalization and death among children in several Asian countries, according to the World Health Organization.

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